Renowned mountaineer and former British Army soldier Nirmal Purja died in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan on Thursday, August 1st, 2026, his expedition company Elite Expeditions confirmed. Purja, 43, was leading a team of 10 climbers when the avalanche struck the 8,051-meter (26,400 feet) peak, located in Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region within the Karakoram mountain range.

Elite Expeditions announced the tragic news on social media, expressing "profound sadness and immense heartbreak" and confirming that none of the other nine members of the expedition survived. Pakistani officials reported that the bodies of three climbers—American Mallory Geis, Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy from Oman, and Pur Bahadur Gurung from Nepal—had been recovered, while the bodies of Purja and others remain in a difficult-to-access location.

Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah also confirmed Purja's death, stating on social media that "the tragic death of six Nepalese and four other foreign climbers, including world record holder Nirmal Purja, in the Karakoram mountain range of Pakistan, has shocked us."

Purja rose to international fame after setting the record for the fastest ascent of the world's 14 highest mountains in just over six months in 2019. His journey was chronicled in the Netflix documentary "14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible," released two years later. In his last social media post before the expedition, Purja said he had not initially planned to climb Broad Peak but decided to attempt it to become the first person to climb all 14 eight-thousanders twice.

Rescue teams in Pakistan launched a major search operation following the avalanche, with Pakistan Army Aviation helicopters and ground teams deployed to the area. Despite challenging conditions, the search confirmed the loss of the entire expedition team.

Sources