Avalanche in Pakistan kills famed mountaineer Nirmal Purja and his fellow climbers

Nirmal Purja, one of the team member of the all-Nepalese mountaineering team that became the first to scale Mount K2 in winter, gestures as the team arrives at Tribhuwan International airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Jan. 26, 2021.

FILE – Nirmal Purja, one of the team members of the all-Nepalese mountaineering team that became the first to scale Mount K2 in winter, gestures as the team arrives at Tribhuwan International airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Jan. 26, 2021.

Niranjan Shrestha/AP

Niranjan Shrestha/AP

The celebrated climber Nirmal Purja and the nine other members of a mountaineering expedition group have died after they were caught in an avalanche on one of the highest peaks on earth.

“It is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Mirmal ‘Nimsdai’ Purja tragically lost his life following the avalanche on Broad Peak,” Purja’s company Elite Expeditions said in a statement. Broad Peak is a 26,414 foot mountain in Northern Pakistan.

“We have also received confirmation that other members of the expedition sadly did not survive,” the company said.

Purja, who was 43 years old and a British-Nepali climber, became world-renowned by breaking climbing records. In 2019, he was the first person to climb all 14 mountains world-wide with elevations above 8,000 meters (26,247 feet) in 6 months and 6 days. The feat was the subject of a Netflix feature documentary in 2021.

Purja also served for a decade in the UK’s Special Boat Service, an elite special forces unit of the British military similar to the US Navy SEALs.

International team killed, including an American

The expedition included climbers from Oman, Nepal, Pakistan, China and the United States, according to Alpine Club of Pakistan.

The American mountaineer was 39-year old Mallory Geis of San Antonio, Texas, according to the Associated Press. In a social media post earlier this year she wrote about her decision to close her Pilates studio to pursue high altitude climbing.

“So here we go. Taking a giant leap of faith into the unknown to see where life goes. I have a sneaking suspicion there will be lots of helmets, harnesses, and crampons involved,” Geis posted.

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A post shared by Mallory Geis (@pursuitoftheview)

In another post she talked about being excited about her upcoming trip to climb the more-than 8,000 meter mountain in Pakistan.

“I’m heading out for my first big kid climbing expedition in Pakistan,” she wrote. “Let’s see if we can get this body and these boots up Broad Peak, the 12th highest mountain in the world.”

“She was a very positive person,” her father George Geis told KENS 5 local news in San Antonio. “She could do most anything she wanted to do.”

Rescue efforts proved futile

Military helicopters and high-altitude porters and rescue teams searched the area despite challenging terrain and weather conditions, according to local police.

Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra “Balen” Shah confirmed the deaths of the Nepalese climbers in a social media post on Saturday.

The remains of some of the climbers have been flown to hospitals in Pakistan, according to the Associated Press citing local police.

“Today, we mourn not only Nims, but every life lost in this tragedy,” Elite Expeditions said. “Our deepest thoughts, prayers and heartfelt condolences are with their families, friends and loved ones.”

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