Nirmal Purja among 10 climbers killed in Pakistan avalanche — Pajhwok

KABUL (Pajhwok): Ten climbers, including renowned British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja, have been killed in an avalanche on Broad Peak in northern Pakistan, a media report said on Sunday. The 10-member climbing team was caught in an avalanche on Broad Peak on Thursday, the Associated Press reported. Adventure company Elite Exped confirmed the deaths of all team members, saying in a statement, “The world has lost one of its greatest mountaineers.” The company added, “No words can ease the pain of this unimaginable loss.” Rescuers found four bodies on Friday and recovered three of them, while severe weather hampered helicopter search and rescue operations. Search and recovery efforts, supported by Pakistan Army helicopters, resumed on Saturday to locate and recover the remaining victims. Pakistan Alpine Club President Irfan Arshad Khan described the incident as an “irreparable loss for the global mountaineering community” and thanked the military, rescue teams and Sherpas involved in the operation. Local police official Tahir Khan said on Saturday that the body of Omani climber Nathira Ahmed was being flown to Islamabad, while the bodies of American climber Mallory Geis and Nepali climber Bahadur Gurung remained at a hospital in Skardu, the main city of Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region. Purja, popularly known as “Nims Dai,” was a former British Army soldier who set a record in 2019 by…