SKARDU: The search and rescue operations resumed this morning to locate seven climbers who remain missing after a devastating avalanche struck Broad Peak.
The operation had been temporarily suspended late Friday due to severe weather conditions, including heavy snowfall, poor visibility, and the continued risk of avalanches in the high-altitude region.
The rescue teams returned to the mountain as weather conditions slightly improved, renewing efforts to find the missing climbers.
The avalanche claimed the lives of three members of a 10-person expedition team. The bodies of Omani climber Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy, Nepali mountaineer Pur Bahadur Gurung, and American climber Mallory Geis were recovered on Friday and airlifted to Skardu.
The seven climbers still missing include five from Nepal—renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja, Kili Pemba Sherpa, Nima Sherpa, Nawang Thindu Sherpa, and Gyalu Sherpa, as well as Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi and Chinese national Wang Zhong.
In this regard, a three-member civilian rescue team led by renowned Pakistani mountaineer Sarbaz Khan resumed its ground search mission early Saturday. Nepali climbers stationed at the Broad Peak base camp with other expedition teams also joined the search efforts.
Alpine Club of Pakistan President Major General Irfan Arshad confirmed that the rescue operation remains underway. He said Pakistan Army helicopters were deployed to support the mission by conducting aerial searches in the area where the climbers disappeared.
Alpine Club General Secretary Ayaz Shigri said drone surveillance carried out during the operation detected the possible presence of additional climbers at an altitude of approximately 6,000 metres. However, he cautioned that the difficult mountain terrain, unstable snow conditions, continuous snowfall, and the persistent threat of further avalanches continue to hamper rescue efforts.
Meanwhile, according to Nepali media reports, renowned mountaineer Mingma David Sherpa has travelled to Pakistan from Nepal to assist in the ongoing search operation for Nirmal Purja and the other missing climbers.
The avalanche struck on Thursday while the expedition team was attempting to summit Broad Peak, the world’s 12th-highest mountain, standing at 8,047 metres (26,400 feet). Regional authorities said the climbers were ascending at an altitude of around 6,600 metres when the avalanche occurred.
