SATV, Kathmandu, Aug. 3: Bodies of four mountaineers including Nirmal Purja who went missing while climbing the Broad Peak (8,047 metre) in Pakistan have been recovered at about 5,700 m on the mountain.
The Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) informed in an Instagram post on Sunday afternoon that the bodies of Purja, Wang Zhong, Nima Sherpa and Kili Pemba Sherpa 'Kilu' were recovered while the rescuers also confirmed the presence of one additional body at a significantly higher elevation.
"Due to the extremely hazardous terrain and prevailing conditions, it is unlikely that a recovery attempt will be made at this stage," said the Club while commending the extraordinary courage and professionalism of the Pakistani and Nepali rescue team carrying out this difficult mission under some of the world’s most challenging high-altitude conditions.
The dead bodies were being brought down to Camp 1 of Peak, world's 12th highest mountain, and downwards by the ground rescue team.
With this the number of bodies recovered reaches eight. However, the APC maintained that the information was preliminary field report and is subject to further confirmation.
The bodies of Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy of Oman and Pur Bahadur Gurung of Nepal were recovered on Friday while Gyalu Sherpa's body was recovered on Saturday.
Quoting ACP President Irfan Arshad, Pakistan's Dawn reported that the remains believed to be of American climber Sarah Mallory Geis were also recovered. Purja was leading a 10-member team – six Nepalis and one each from China, Oman, Pakistan and the United States.
Myagdi mourns Purja's death
Our Myagdi Correspondent reported that Purja's birth place in Myagdi district is mourning his death. He was born in Dana of Annapurna Rural Municipality-3, and is being remembered across the district for his extraordinary achievements in mountaineering. In honour of his passing, Annapurna Rural Municipality has declared Monday a day of mourning.
In a condolence statement issued on Sunday, Annapurana's Chair Bharat Kumar Pun announced that all municipal offices, ward offices, health institutions and community schools under the municipality would remain closed on Monday, except for essential services.
In its statement, the municipality said Purja's contribution to taking Nepal's mountaineering sector to new heights, establishing the identity and prestige of Nepali climbers on the international stage, and setting an unparalleled example of courage, leadership and dedication would always be remembered.
Acting Chief of the District Coordination Committee, Dil Kumari Khatri, expressed sorrow over his death, saying the district had lost one of its most talented mountaineers and the nation had lost a source of immense pride.
The 43-year-old mountaineer and former British Army personnel had set a world record by climbing all 14 mountains above 8,000 metres in the shortest time ever, in six months six days.
"His impact reached far beyond any one nation, more than the records themselves, he gave people everywhere a reason to believe that the impossible was simply something no one had dared attempt hard enough yet, inspiring dreamers and climbers across the globe to chase what once seemed unreachable," said the ACP.
It termed that Purja's death was a loss on the very mountains he so loved is a devastating blow to the global mountaineering family. "But his legacy of pushing limits, of proving that the impossible is only impossible until someone dares to do it, will endure in every climber, everywhere, who follows the trail he blazed," it said in the social media post.
'Truly saddened'
Prince William of the UK said that he was 'truly saddened' by the tragic death of Purja and those who lost their lives in the avalanche.
"Nims (Nirmal) served with distinction in the British Armed Forces before becoming one of the world’s greatest mountaineers, putting Nepalese climbers on the map. His relentless pursuit of what seemed impossible, combined with his humility and selflessness, made him truly unique," he wrote in his post on X.
Earlier, on Sunday afternoon, Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) informed in a statement that the Embassy of Nepal in Islamabad is facilitating the necessary arrangements for the repatriation of the deceased climbers' remains to Nepal.
"We commend the courage and dedication of the Pakistani and Nepali mountaineering teams involved in conducting these challenging rescue efforts in the high-altitude terrain," it said.
