A ten-member international mountaineering team led by renowned Nepal-born former Royal Marine Nirmal Purja is feared missing after an avalanche struck Pakistan's Broad Peak, which stands at 8,047 metres (26,400 feet) in the Karakoram range.

Pakistani mountaineering officials reported the avalanche occurred around midday on Thursday, July 30th, 2026. The group includes an American, a Chinese national, an Omani, and five Nepalis.

Broad Peak is ranked as the world's 12th highest mountain and is considered one of the more challenging peaks for expeditions.

Purja, the expedition leader, is known for climbing all 14 of the world's 8,000-metre-plus mountains in just over six months in 2019. He joined the British Army in 2003 and became a Royal Marine in 2009. His climbing career began in 2012 when he walked to Everest base camp and decided to climb the entire mountain instead of returning.

Karrar Haidri, vice-president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, told the BBC, "We are coordinating with the authorities and trying to arrange a helicopter rescue on Friday morning Pakistani time depending on weather condition."

In a separate statement, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said it had been "in constant contact" with authorities to ensure that "all available resources are mobilised at the earliest opportunity." The club also expressed prayers for the safety and successful rescue of all climbers and solidarity with their families and the international mountaineering community during this difficult time.

Sources