Netflix star and former Royal Marine Nims Purja's body has been helicoptered off the top off a mountain after he died in what has been called one the deadliest mountaineering disasters to have taken place in Pakistan. The Nepalese mountaineer was leading an expedition of 10 climbers on Broad Peak – the world’s 12th highest mountain – in the North of the country when the avalanche struck at about midday on Thursday, July 30.
A week after the tragedy, his body was retrieved and transported from the top of the mountain on Thursday, August 6, along with the bodies of fellow victims, Chinese climber Zhong Wang, and Nepali climbers Nima Sherpa, Gyalu Sherpa and Kilu Sherpa. The news was confirmed by the President of the Alpine Club of Pakistan in a statement. "On behalf of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, it is announced with great sadness that, following an exceptionally challenging and technically demanding recovery operation on Broad Peak, the bodies of Nirmal Purja, Wang Zhong, Nima Sherpa and Kilu Sherpa have been successfully recovered and have now arrived safely at Base Camp," he wrote.
"I extend my sincere gratitude to the dedicated ground recovery team, led by Mingma G and supported by Sirbaz Khan, Abid Baig, Sherbaz, Dipen Gurung and Pemba Chhewang Sherpa, whose courage, professionalism and selfless commitment made this recovery possible under extremely difficult conditions."
Officials have said the bodies will be flown to Islamabad in Pakistan after liaising with the embassies of the climbers’ home countries. However, some of the victims' bodies remain missing.
Nims rose to prominence in 2019 when he climbed all 14 of the world’s mountains with peaks above 8,000 metres (26,247ft) in 189 days – smashing the previous record by more than seven years.
The challenge was the focus of a Netflix documentary titled 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible, released in 2021.
Two years later, alongside survivalist Bear Grylls, he was enlisted by former Made in Chelsea star Spencer Matthews to help recover the body of his brother Michael, the youngest Briton to summit Everest, who disappeared on the mountain in 1999.
Their efforts were captured in the documentary Finding Michael, which was released in 2023.
His death had been confirmed by his company, Elite Exped, in an Instagram post which read: "Today, it is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Nirmal ‘Nimsdai’ Purja, tragically lost his life following the avalanche on Broad Peak.
"We have also received confirmation that other members of this expedition sadly did not survive. Today, we mourn not only Nims, but every life lost in this tragedy, including his trusted climbing partners and guides, Pur Bahadur Gurung (Yukta) and Nima Sherpa."