Skardu, August 1, 2026: Renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal “Nimsdai” Purja, who achieved global recognition for becoming the fastest person to climb the world’s 14 highest peaks, has died in a devastating avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region, his expedition company confirmed on Saturday.
Purja, 43, was among a 10-member international expedition that went missing on Thursday after a powerful avalanche struck the team while they were attempting to summit the 8,051-metre Broad Peak, the world’s 12th highest mountain.
In a statement posted on Instagram, expedition organiser Elite Exped confirmed the tragedy.
“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,” the company said, adding that other members of the expedition had also lost their lives.
The company did not immediately disclose the identities or exact number of the other victims.
The expedition consisted of six Nepali climbers, one Pakistani, one Omani, one American and one Chinese mountaineer. The team lost contact on Thursday morning after the avalanche struck at an altitude of around 6,600 metres during their ascent.
According to regional authorities, the avalanche swept the climbers hundreds of metres down the mountainside. Pakistan’s Alpine Club said tracking device data indicated the force of the avalanche had carried the team a considerable distance from their climbing route.
Earlier this week, Purja had written on X that he was attempting to become the first climber to scale all 14 mountains above 8,000 metres twice without supplemental oxygen.
“Broad Peak, I ask for nothing but safe passage up and back down,” he wrote shortly before the expedition.
Purja, a former member of Britain’s Brigade of Gurkhas and the Royal Marines’ Special Boat Service, became one of the world’s most celebrated mountaineers after completing all 14 “eight-thousanders” in a record six months and six days in 2019, shattering the previous record.
His extraordinary achievement was later documented in the acclaimed Netflix film 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible, which brought his mountaineering feats to an international audience.
Broad Peak, located in the Karakoram mountain range of northern Pakistan, stands at more than 8,000 metres and is regarded as one of the most technically demanding climbs among the world’s highest peaks. First summited by an Austrian expedition in 1957, the mountain continues to attract elite climbers from around the world despite its extreme hazards.
Authorities and rescue teams have continued efforts in the avalanche-hit area, while tributes have poured in from the global mountaineering community for Purja, whose achievements redefined the limits of high-altitude climbing.
