On a Thursday in the Karakoram range of northern Pakistan, an avalanche swallowed the silence of Broad Peak and took ten climbers with it — among them Nirmal Purja, the Nepali mountaineer who had spent years proving that the highest places on Earth could be reached faster and more boldly than anyone had imagined. The Alpine Club of Pakistan confirmed that all contact with the multinational team had been severed, leaving rescuers to wait on weather before they could even begin to look. In the mountains, the absence of a signal is its own kind of message — and this one, from 8,047 meters, was no
Renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja feared missing after Broad Peak avalanche
Ten climbers, including renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja, are feared missing and presumed at risk following an avalanche on Broad Peak.
The entire team has reportedly been out of communication since the avalanche
Mark
What makes Broad Peak different from other eight-thousanders? Why would an experienced team be vulnerable there?
Mimi
Broad Peak is technical in ways that pure altitude alone doesn't capture. The mountain demands sustained climbing at extreme elevation, and avalanche terrain is part of that. Even the best climbers can't control what the mountain does.
Mark
Purja's record—all fourteen eight-thousanders in six months—that's almost incomprehensible. Does that kind of pace change how you climb, or how safe you can be?
Mimi
Speed and safety aren't always enemies, but they're not friends either. Purja's records came from exceptional fitness and judgment, but every expedition carries risk. You can't eliminate it, only manage it.
Mark
The team lost all contact. No distress signal, no partial communication. What does that tell you about what happened?
Mimi
It suggests the avalanche was sudden and severe enough that no one had time or ability to call for help. In those conditions, on that mountain, that's not uncommon. It's why rescue becomes so difficult so quickly.
Mark
What happens now, practically speaking?
Mimi
They wait for weather. Helicopters can't fly in poor conditions at that altitude. If the weather clears, rescue teams will try to reach the site. But time matters enormously in avalanche situations, and they've already lost hours.
Der Puls
- An avalanche on Broad Peak cut off all communication with ten climbers, including record-breaking mountaineer Nirmal Purja, leaving their fate entirely unknown.
- The multinational team — drawn from Nepal, Pakistan, Oman, China, and the United States — vanished without a distress signal, deepening fears about the scale of the incident.
- Helicopter rescue operations have been mobilized, but the remote and punishing terrain of the Karakoram means weather conditions will dictate if and when anyone can reach the site.
- The Alpine Club of Pakistan has issued a statement but cannot confirm where on the mountain the team was, what they were attempting, or whether anyone survived the initial strike.
- The total silence from the expedition — ten people, no signal, no word — is itself the most urgent and troubling fact rescuers are now working against.
On a Thursday in the Karakoram range of northern Pakistan, an avalanche swallowed the silence of Broad Peak and took ten climbers with it — among them Nirmal Purja, the Nepali mountaineer who had spent years proving that the highest places on Earth could be reached faster and more boldly than anyone had imagined. The Alpine Club of Pakistan confirmed that all contact with the multinational team had been severed, leaving rescuers to wait on weather before they could even begin to look. In the mountains, the absence of a signal is its own kind of message — and this one, from 8,047 meters, was not reassuring.
Ten climbers disappeared on Broad Peak in northern Pakistan on Thursday after an avalanche struck their expedition on the 8,047-meter peak, the world's twelfth-highest mountain. Among the missing is Nirmal Purja — known as Nims Dai — a 43-year-old Nepali mountaineer who left the British military in 2018 to pursue a climbing career that would redefine the limits of high-altitude endurance. The Alpine Club of Pakistan confirmed that evening that all contact with the team had been lost.
The expedition was multinational: five climbers from Nepal, including Purja, and five others representing Pakistan, Oman, China, the United States, and one of undisclosed nationality. Helicopter rescue operations were immediately set in motion, though the remote and unforgiving terrain of the Karakoram range meant that weather would determine when — or whether — aircraft could reach the site.
Purja's reputation had been built on feats that once seemed impossible. In 2019, he climbed all fourteen of the world's eight-thousanders in just six months and six days. In 2021, he was part of the first team to summit K2 in winter — an achievement long considered beyond reach. That such a climber could be among the missing underscored the indifference of the mountain itself.
The Alpine Club offered no details about where on the peak the team had been, what their objectives were, or whether any distress signal had been sent before contact was lost. What remained was the silence — ten people, suddenly unreachable, somewhere on a mountain that allows no margin for error.
Ten climbers vanished on Broad Peak in the hours after an avalanche tore through their expedition site on Thursday. Among them was Nirmal Purja, a 43-year-old Nepali mountaineer whose record-breaking ascents have made him one of the most recognizable figures in high-altitude climbing. The Alpine Club of Pakistan reported late that evening that the entire team had lost all contact following the incident on the 8,047-meter peak, the world's twelfth-highest mountain, located in the Karakoram range in northern Pakistan.
The expedition was multinational in composition. Five climbers came from Nepal, including Purja. The remaining five represented Pakistan, Oman, China, the United States, and one climber of undisclosed nationality. Rescue coordinators immediately began mobilizing helicopter support and whatever resources could be deployed, though weather and operational conditions in that remote alpine terrain would determine whether aircraft could reach the site and when.
Purja, known colloquially as Nims Dai, had built his reputation on feats of mountaineering endurance that seemed to redefine what was possible at extreme altitude. He transitioned to full-time climbing and guiding in 2018 after leaving the British military. Between April and October 2019, he climbed all fourteen of the world's eight-thousanders—peaks that rise above 8,000 meters—in six months and six days, a record that stood at the time. Two years later, in 2021, he became part of the first team to summit K2 in winter, a nine-person Nepali expedition that accomplished what many in the climbing world had considered nearly impossible.
Broad Peak, where the avalanche struck, sits in one of Earth's most unforgiving mountain ranges. The peak's technical difficulty and altitude make it a serious undertaking even for experienced climbers. Avalanches in the Karakoram are not uncommon, but the loss of communication with an entire team suggested the scale of whatever had occurred on the mountain.
The Alpine Club of Pakistan's statement emphasized that rescue efforts would begin as soon as conditions permitted. The club did not provide details about where on the mountain the team had been when the avalanche hit, what their climbing objectives were, or whether anyone had managed to send any distress signal before contact was lost. The silence from the expedition site itself was the most troubling detail: ten people, suddenly unreachable, somewhere on a mountain that offers no margin for error.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Every possible effort is being made to ensure that helicopter support and all available rescue resources are mobilised at the earliest opportunity, subject to weather and operational conditions.— Alpine Club of Pakistan
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