Four bodies found after climbers go missing on Pakistan mountain

KATHMANDU/PESHAWAR — The bodies of four climbers were located by Pakistani search crews on Friday after at least 10 mountaineers went missing in a suspected avalanche on Broad Peak a day earlier, Pakistani sources said.

Among those missing was Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja, 43, who holds the record for the fastest ascent of the world's 14 highest mountains, according to the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP).

The climbers were believed to have been swept away by an avalanche on the 8,051-meter (26,414-foot) peak, the world's 12th-highest mountain, around midday on Thursday.

Search and rescue operations continued on Friday, with authorities focusing on a "remote and difficult area," Sajid Hussain, deputy director of the tourism department in Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region, told Reuters.

The four bodies found had not yet been recovered, according to Pakistani security sources, who did not provide details about their location.

The ACP said two Pakistan Army Aviation rescue helicopters had been deployed for the operation.

"We remain hopeful for the safe recovery of the missing climbers," the club said, adding that the entire team had reportedly been out of communication since the avalanche.

The expedition included Purja and nine other climbers from Nepal, Pakistan, Oman, the United States and China, the ACP said.

Trekking company Seven Summit Treks (SST) had three Sherpa guides among the missing climbers, board director Chhang Dawa Sherpa told Reuters.

Chhang said the team's last tracked location before the suspected avalanche was at an altitude of 6,600 meters (21,653 feet), where members "fell down straight from there."

Located in Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region, Broad Peak is considered one of the country's most challenging climbs.

Purja first climbed Annapurna, the world's 10th-highest mountain, on April 23, 2019, before attempting the other "8,000ers" — peaks higher than 8,000 meters.

He gained international recognition after a Netflix documentary about his journey was released two years later.

Of the world's 14 highest mountains, eight are located in Nepal, five in Pakistan and one in Tibet. Climbing experts say that only slightly more than three dozen mountaineers have successfully climbed all 14 peaks to date. -Reporting by Gopal Sharma; Additional reporting by Mushtaq Ali in Peshawar; Editing by Rick Noack and Michael Perry/Reuters