Rescue operations are on-going for five missing mountaineers, including high-end yachtsman, Nirmal Purja, after four of his team members died in a deadly avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan.
Officials said they were responding to a report of an avalanche occurring Thursday on the mountain as a party of climbers climbed up Nemeth’s Rock. Ten climbers were said to be missing when they lost communication with their base camp.
Three of these bodies have been taken to hospital, authorities said. These dead are Nepalese climber Pur Bahadur Gurung, Omani climber Nathira Ahmed and American climber Mallory Geis. Widow Augusta Armitage and the fourth victim have not been officially identified.
Very difficult access has been hampered by severe weather to the high altitude areas where the rescue is taking place. In the ongoing search operation, the poor weather is one of the major challenges as acknowledged by the Chief Minister of GB, Engineer Amjad Hussain.
One name not on the list is that of famed climber Nirmal Purja, who was allegedly in charge of the expedition when the avalanche took place.
However, as soon as the avalanche struck, the climbers’ communication with the base camp was lost, said Alpine Club of Pakistan’s Vice President Karrar Haidri.
Continuous search and rescue efforts are underway in difficult conditions with optimism of identifying the missing climbers still in search. Authorities have not excluded taking more of the bodies, which is still ongoing on one of the world’s most dangerous mountain climbing summits.