Broad Peak avalanche: search on for two missing climbers after weather delay

Rescue teams are combing Broad Peak on foot for two missing climbers after last week's avalanche. The operation has turned into a gruelling multinational recovery mission as bad weather keeps helicopters grounded.Image used for representational purposes onlyRescue teams on Tuesday continued to search on foot for the remains of the last two members of a 10-person expedition group buried in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan's Karakoram range last week, after bad weather stopped helicopters from joining the operation, officials said.The team went missing on Thursday after the avalanche hit at an altitude of about 7,000 metres while they were attempting to scale the mountain. According to the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP), the bodies of eight climbers have been recovered so far, while search efforts are continuing for Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi and Nawang Thindu Sherpa.The climbing team comprised six Nepalese, one Pakistani, one Omani, one American and one Chinese climber. The ACP said rescue teams kept up the search on foot on Tuesday as weather conditions remained unfavourable for air support."Helicopters remain on standby but were unable to fly due to poor weather," the ACP said, adding that the search was extremely challenging because of the difficult high-altitude terrain. Broad Peak, which stands at 8,051 metres, is the world's 12th-highest mountain and is considered one of the most technically demanding peaks in Pakistan's Karakoram range, near K2.Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar expressed sorrow over the tragedy and offered condolences to the families of the victims and to the governments and people of China, Nepal, Oman, the United Kingdom and the US. "We also mourn one of our own, Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi of Hunza, whose courage and enduring passion for the high mountains will be remembered with pride," Dar said in a post on X on Tuesday.He said the determination and pursuit of excellence shown by the climbers reflected the true spirit of mountaineering and would continue to inspire future generations. Dar also praised the rescue personnel for working in exceptionally difficult conditions."I commend the tireless efforts of our rescue and recovery teams, whose professionalism under the most demanding conditions deserves our deepest appreciation. Pakistan remains fully committed to the ongoing search, rescue and recovery efforts in close coordination with the diplomatic missions of the affected countries," he said.Four bodies were recovered on Friday, one early on Sunday and three more later that day. The recovered climbers were identified as veteran British-Nepalese mountaineer Nirmal Purja; Pur Bahadur Gurung, Kili Pemba Sherpa, Nima Sherpa and Gyalu Sherpa of Nepal; Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy of Oman; Mallory Geis of the US; and Wang Zhong of China.Purja's body was found at about 5,700 metres. He had set a record for the fastest ascent of the world's 14 highest mountains, completing the feat in six months in 2019. He later became widely known internationally after the release of the Netflix documentary "14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible", which chronicled his journey. Purja had also served in the British military with the Gurkhas and later in special forces.On Saturday, Purja's organising company, Elite Exped, had announced that all members of the expedition had died. With eight bodies recovered and two climbers still missing, rescuers are continuing the operation on foot as weather conditions remain poor.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 4, 2026 17:04 IST