Famous mountaineer Nirmal Purja was among 10 climbers who lost their lives in an avalanche on the world's 12th-tallest mountain in Pakistan.
The incident occurred on Thursday on the 26,414-foot-tall Broad Peak in the Karakoram mountain range, where an avalanche struck the climbers.
The company involved in the expedition, Elite Exped, released a statement expressing their condolences for the loss of life, saying, "The world has lost one of mountaineering's greatest climbers." They added that no words can ease the pain of this unimaginable loss.
Purja was leading the group up Broad Peak at the time of the incident, and a Pakistani rescue team had recovered three bodies, including American Sarah Mallory Geis, by Friday.
However, due to weather conditions, the team had to temporarily halt the operation in the "remote and difficult" area, but resumed the search on Saturday to attempt to recover the remaining seven bodies.
The loss of these courageous climbers has been met with shock and sadness from the global mountaineering community, with the president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan describing it as an "immeasurable loss." He also thanked the military, Sherpas, and civilians who took part in the rescue mission.
Purja, a British-Nepali climber, was featured in the 2021 documentary "14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible," in which he attempted to summit the world's 14 tallest mountains in seven months.
The 43-year-old had a distinguished military background, serving in the British army with the Gurkhas and later in the British special forces.
