Famed climber Nirmal Purja, nine others, die in avalanche in Pakistan, hiking company says

By Gopal Sharma

KATHMANDU, Aug 1 (Reuters) – Celebrated Nepali climber Nirmal Purja, who set a record for the fastest ascent of the world’s 14 highest mountains, died in an avalanche during an expedition in Pakistan, his company said on Saturday.

“Today it is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Nirmal ‘Nimsdai’ Purja tragically lost his life following the avalanche on Broad Peak,” his expedition organising company Elite Exped said in an Instagram post.

“We have also received confirmation that other members of the expedition sadly did not survive,” it added, without giving details.

Purja, 43, and nine others had been missing since Thursday after being struck by an avalanche on the 8,051-metre (26,414-foot) Broad Peak, the world’s 12th highest mountain, a technically difficult climb in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region.

Purja, who served with British special forces as a Gurkha, completed the record-breaking feat in six months in 2019. He became widely known internationally after the Netflix documentary chronicling his journey “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible” was released two years later.

The 10 mountaineers were caught in an avalanche around midday on Thursday. Six of the 10 climbers were Nepalis and the others were from ⁠Pakistan, Oman, the U.S. and China.

(Reporting by Gopal Sharma; Editing by Alex Richardson)