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Legendary mountaineer Nirmal ‘Nimsdai’ Purja has died after an avalanche struck Broad Peak, the world’s 12th-highest mountain, his expedition company Elite Exped confirmed in an Instagram post on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Purja and five other climbers had been reported missing since Friday after an avalanche hit the expedition on Broad Peak’s standard West Ridge route. According to Elite Exped, the incident also claimed the lives of other members of the team.<\/p>\n
“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 the expedition sadly did not survive,” the company said.<\/p>\n
Broad Peak is located in the Karakoram mountain range along the border of Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan and China’s Xinjiang region, close to K2 in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK).<\/p>\n
The avalanche struck the expedition along the mountain’s standard West Ridge route at an altitude of approximately 21,600 to 21,850 feet.<\/p>\n
Elite Exped also confirmed the deaths of Purja’s climbing partners and guides, Pur Bahadur Gurung (Yukta)<\/strong> and Nima Sherpa<\/strong>, while expressing condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives.<\/p>\n “The world has lost one of mountaineering’s greatest climbers; a leader who inspired millions through his courage, humility and unwavering belief that human potential is far greater than we often imagine,” the company said.<\/p>\n Before becoming a full-time mountaineer and expedition guide, Purja served in Britain’s Brigade of Gurkhas and later in the Royal Marines’ elite Special Boat Service (SBS).<\/p>\n He rose to global prominence in 2019 after completing his ambitious Project Possible<\/strong>, climbing all 14 mountains above 8,000 metres in just six months and six days, setting a world record.<\/p>\n In 2021, Purja was part of the 10-member Nepali team that achieved the first successful winter ascent of K2, one of mountaineering’s most celebrated achievements.<\/p>\n His accomplishments also reached a global audience through the Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible<\/em>, which chronicled his record-breaking expedition and inspired renewed interest in high-altitude climbing.<\/p>\n According to Elite Exped, Purja’s legacy will continue through the organisations he founded and the countless people he inspired to push beyond perceived limits.<\/p>\n The post Mountaineering icon Nirmal Purja dies after avalanche on Broad Peak<\/a> appeared first on APN News<\/a>.<\/p>\nA pioneering career in mountaineering<\/strong><\/h2>\n