Recovery of avalanche victims from Broad Peak has been concluded for now

The bodies of four climbers who died in the avalanche accident on Broad Peak six days ago have been brought to base camp and can now be returned to their families. The Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) announced this today in what it called a “closing statement.” The bodies are those of Nirmal Purja, Wang Zhong, Nima Sherpa, and Kili Pemba (Kilu) Sherpa. Bad weather on Monday and Tuesday had prevented them from being transported from Camp 1 down to the valley.

This means that the bodies of seven of the ten avalanche victims from Broad Peak have now been recovered. Last Saturday, the body of Gyalu Sherpa from Nepal was brought down from the avalanche zone; rescuers had already recovered the bodies of Nadhira Al Harthy from Oman and Pur Bahadur (Yukta) Gurung from Nepal at the base of Broad Peak on Friday.

Three climbers still missing

The Nepalese Nawang Thindu Sherpa – who is apparently still higher up on the mountain in a hard-to-reach area – the Pakistani Sohail Sakhi, and the American Mallory Geis are still officially listed as missing. A body part found last Friday was identified as belonging to Geis.

“We remain committed to supporting all possible efforts to locate and recover them (the missing climbers),” promises the ACP, “whenever conditions allow, so that they too may be returned home to their loved ones.”

ACP praises the selfless commitment of the ground recovery team

The Pakistani mountaineering federation extends its heartfelt thanks to the “dedicated ground recovery team.” Mingma Gyalje Sherpa, head of the expedition operator Imagine Nepal, led the team. Joining him on the mission were the Pakistanis Sirbaz Khan, Abid Baig, and Sherbaz Kahn, as well as Dipen Gurung and Pemba Chhewang Sherpa from Nepal. Their “courage, professionalism, and selfless commitment made this recovery possible under extremely difficult conditions,” according to the ACP’s statement.

Mingma Gyalje Sherpa kept his promise

Mingma Gyalje had close ties to some of the avalanche victims. Kilu Sherpa had worked for many years as a mountain guide for Imagine Nepal, and the Chinese climber Wang Zhong had climbed eleven of his twelve eight-thousanders as a client of Mingma’s company.

Mingma Gyalje also shared many experiences with the Nepalese mountaineering star Nirmal Purja. In 2021, both were part of the ten-member team of Nepalese mountaineers that succeeded in the first winter ascent of the 8,611-meter-high K2, the second-highest mountain on earth. In the fall of 2024, Mingma Gyalje Sherpa and Nirmal Purja completed their 14 eight-thousanders without bottled oxygen on the same day on Shishapangma – the first mountaineers from Nepal to do so.

“My loving brothers Kilu, Wang and Nims. We will take you back home to see families,” Mingma Gyalje had posted on Instagram four days ago. He kept his promise. Hats off to him and everyone else who took part in the difficult and dangerous recovery on Broad Peak.

P.S. Call me “old school” if you like, but I found many of the sensationalist images and comments on social media and elsewhere simply unbearable and disrespectful. Is it too much to ask to first let the rescue teams do their dangerous work and give the victims’ families the chance to get through the initial, profound grief of losing their loved ones?