Particle.news
Get it on Google Play
Download on the App Store
14 ARTICLES
·
last mo.

Eight Bodies Recovered From Broad Peak Avalanche; Two Climbers Still Missing

A five-body airlift to Skardu highlights limits of rescue at extreme altitude, prompting coordinated repatriation and family notifications.

Pakistani army soldiers and volunteers prepare to load into ambulances, the bodies of climbers, that were recovered from Broad Peak nearly a week after an avalanche swept away a 10-member international expedition, upon arrival at a military base in Skardu, in northern Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/ M.H. Balti)
Pakistani army soldiers prepare to load into an ambulance, the body of renowned British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja, that was recovered from Broad Peak nearly a week after an avalanche swept away a 10-member international expedition, upon arrival at military base in Skardu, in northern Pakistan, Thursday, Aug 6, 2026. (AP Photo/ M.H. Balti)
Pakistani army soldiers and volunteers prepare to load into ambulances, the bodies of climbers, that were recovered from Broad Peak nearly a week after an avalanche swept away a 10-member international expedition, upon arrival at a military base in Skardu, in northern Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/ M.H. Balti)
Pakistani army soldiers and volunteers unload from a helicopter the bodies of climbers, that were recovered from Broad Peak nearly a week after an avalanche swept away a 10-member international expedition, upon arrival at a military base in Skardu, in northern Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/ M.H. Balti)

Overview

  • An avalanche struck the expedition during a summit push on July 30, killing all 10 members of an international team led by Nirmal Purja, officials and Purja’s company confirmed.
  • Rescuers have recovered eight bodies so far and Pakistan Army helicopters flew five more to the Combined Military Hospital in Skardu on August 6 for formalities and preparation for transfer to Islamabad.
  • The Alpine Club of Pakistan said joint Pakistani and Nepali ground teams carried out the technically demanding recoveries under hazardous weather and terrain that limit high-altitude rescue options.
  • Two climbers remain missing, including Pakistan’s Sohail Sakhi and Mallory Geis, and searches continue only when conditions permit because of avalanche risk and inaccessible locations.
  • The deaths have prompted international tributes, embassy coordination for repatriation and fundraising by the Nimsdai Foundation to support the families of the guides who died.