Renowned mountaineer and former British Army soldier Nirmal Purja was among ten climbers killed in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan on Thursday, August 1st, 2026, his expedition company Elite Expeditions confirmed.

Elite Expeditions announced the tragic news on social media, expressing "profound sadness and immense heartbreak" and stating that none of the other nine members of the expedition survived. Pakistani officials had earlier recovered the bodies of three climbers from the group: American Mallory Geis, Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy from Oman, and Pur Bahadur Gurung from Nepal.

Purja, a celebrated Nepali climber, was known for scaling the world's 14 highest peaks in just over six months in 2019, setting a record for the fastest ascent of these mountains. He gained international recognition following the release of the Netflix documentary "14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible," which chronicled his journey.

In his last social media post on Monday before the expedition, Purja stated he had not initially intended to climb Broad Peak but decided to attempt it as it would leave him only one more mountain to climb to become the first person in history to summit all 14 eight-thousanders twice without oxygen.

Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah confirmed Purja's death, saying on social media that "the tragic death of six Nepalese and four other foreign climbers, including world record holder Nirmal Purja, in the Karakoram mountain range of Pakistan, has shocked us."

Rescue teams had been searching for the climbers on Broad Peak, the world's 12th-highest summit at 8,047 meters (26,400 feet), located in Pakistan's Karakoram range in the Gilgit-Baltistan region.

Notable quotes from the tragedy include Purja's plea, "Broad Peak, I ask for nothing but safe passage up and back down," and reflections on the climbers' legacy: "The physical journey of all the deceased climbers... has been interrupted, but the history of their courage, dedication, and contributions will always remain inspiring."