Record-Breaking Mountaineer Nirmal Purja Dies in Pakistan Avalanche
Nirmal Purja, the British-Nepali mountaineer who set a world record climbing all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters, was killed in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan's Karakoram range on July 30, along with nine others including three members
Elite Expeditions announced that Nirmal Purja, 43, a celebrated British-Nepali mountaineer, was among 10 people killed in an avalanche on Broad Peak (K3), the world's 12th highest mountain at 8,047 meters, in Pakistan's Karakoram range on July 30. Three members of Purja's climbing team—American Mallory Gaes, Omani Nadira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthi, and Nepali Pur Bahadur Gurung—were found dead in the disaster.
Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah confirmed Purja's death, stating: "The tragic loss of six Nepali climbers and four foreign nationals, including world-record holder Nirmal Purja, in Pakistan's Karakoram range has shocked us. Their history of courage, dedication, and sacrifice will forever inspire us."
Purja was born in Nepal and later served in the British Army. In 2019, he became the fastest person to climb all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters, breaking the previous record by over seven years. He gained worldwide recognition after Netflix released the documentary "14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible" about his journey.
In his final post on X from July 27, Purja revealed he had not originally planned to climb Broad Peak. "The initial plan was to climb only G2," he wrote, referring to Gasherbrum 2, another Karakoram peak. Before departing for Pakistan, he realized that summiting Broad Peak would leave him just one mountain shy of becoming "the first person in history to climb all fourteen 8,000-meter peaks twice without supplemental oxygen."
