Broad Peak Avalanche July 2026: The Search for 10 Missing Climbers, Including Nirmal Purja
An avalanche struck an international climbing team between Camp II and Camp III on Broad Peak. Four bodies have been recovered so far; the identities of the deceased and the condition of the remaining climbers are still being verified.
What Happened
A 10-member international mountaineering team departed on June 30, 2026 for a Broad Peak (8,047m) expedition, organized through Karakoram Tours, Amazing Tours, and Blue Sky Trek & Tours Company. According to a statement from the Gilgit-Baltistan Police, the team was ascending from Camp II toward Camp III on Broad Peak, in Pakistan's Karakoram range, when it was struck by an avalanche.
Upon receiving information about the incident, Pakistan Army and Shigar Police search and rescue teams were dispatched to the site the following morning. As of this writing, four bodies have been recovered, though the identities of the deceased and the condition of the remaining climbers are still being verified.
Who Was on the Team
According to the Gilgit-Baltistan Police statement, the expedition included the following climbers:
- Sarah Mallory Geis — United Kingdom (note: several international outlets, including CNN and the Associated Press, initially reported Mallory Geis as an American climber; this detail is still being clarified)
- Pur Bahadur Gurung — Nepal
- Nirmal Purja ("Nims Dai") — United Kingdom, widely known for setting a world record by climbing all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter peaks in under seven months in 2019
- Nawang Thindu Sherpa — Nepal
- Gyalu Sherpa — Nepal
- Nima Sherpa — Nepal
- Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy — Oman
- Wang Zong — China
- Kili Pemba — Nepal
- Suhail Sakhi Hunzai — Pakistan (Hunza), a highly regarded Pakistani mountaineer and mentor to many local climbers, who had previously summited all of Pakistan's 8,000-meter peaks
Search and Rescue Efforts
Search and rescue operations remain underway. Given the nature of the incident, Shigar Police, Rescue 1122, the Pakistan Army, and other relevant authorities are continuing to closely monitor the situation and coordinate rescue efforts. Earlier reports also indicated that Pakistani high-altitude climbers Sirbaz Khan and Sherzad Karim were mobilized to assist with an aerial search of the area.
About Broad Peak
Broad Peak is the world's 12th-highest mountain, sitting in the Karakoram range near its far more famous neighbor, K2. While generally considered somewhat less technically demanding than K2, Broad Peak is known for harsh, unpredictable weather, and has seen fatal incidents in past seasons, including the deaths of three climbers in 2013.
A Developing Situation
Search and rescue operations of this kind, at extreme altitude and in difficult mountain weather, are inherently slow and uncertain, and information continues to change as rescue teams reach the site. This page will be updated as confirmed details become available from the Gilgit-Baltistan Police, the Alpine Club of Pakistan, and other official sources.
Our thoughts are with the climbers, their families, and the rescue teams working under extremely difficult conditions to bring them home.
This is a developing story. The identities of the recovered climbers and the condition of the remaining team members have not yet been officially confirmed at the time of publishing. For the latest verified updates, follow official statements from the Gilgit-Baltistan Police and the Alpine Club of Pakistan.
Source: Spokesperson, Gilgit-Baltistan Police.