A ground team has now reached most of the 10 victims of Thursday’s avalanche on Broad Peak. Two bodies were retrieved near the base of the mountain on Friday, while drones spotted several of the others lying in the snow. All are now feared dead, although miracles have happened in the mountains.
Mingma G of Imagine Nepal has flown from neighboring K2 to join the search-and-recovery operation on 8,051m Broad Peak. Together with Sirbaz Khan and other Pakistani and Nepalese climbers, they set off from Camp 1 earlier today. As we post this story, they have now reached the victims.
Moments ago, the rescuers reached the accident site. Aerial footage provided to ExplorersWeb by Samson Sharaf
Drones, trackers, and ground team
Mingma G’s team flew a drone above Camp 1 yesterday and reported seven immobile bodies. However, the footage provided to ExplorersWeb by Brigadier Samson Sharaf — also a high altitude climber and currently mentoring several well-known Pakistani mountaineers, including Sohail Sakhi, one of the victims — shows five figures on the snow. Sharaf has been contributing to the search by trying to locate the bodies from their trackers. The avalanche did not bury most of the climbers, but just swept them hundreds of meters down the mountain.
We will soon get official word on the state of the victims and their identities. There will also be a decision about the best way to evacuate them. A long-line operation may be an option, but the team on the ground has been irreplaceable.
Victims of the Broad Peak avalanche. Aerial footage provided to ExplorersWeb by Samson Sharaf
Authorities have also revealed that a body part found yesterday above Camp 1, near the lifeless bodies of Pur Bahadur Gurun (aka Yukta) of Nepal and Nadhira Al Harthy of Oman, belonged to Mallory Geis, an American client guided by Sohail Sakhi. The bodies of Yukta and Al Harthy were flown out yesterday.
Ground approach essential
Mingma G joined Shirbaz Khan of Pakistan (who often works with Mingma’s Imagine Nepal team) on the ground search from Camp 1. Mingma David Sherpa, a member of Nepal’s parliament and the business partner of Nirmal Purja — who is among the avalanche victims — has flown to Skardu. He will soon join the rescue team. Mingma David is also a specialist in long-line rescues.
There are also two Pakistan Army helicopters in the area, ready to support the ground team. However, the area where the bodies are located is steep and technical, making a ground approach essential. The rescuers have also discussed the necessary precautions to take regarding conditions on the mountain, to avoid possibly triggering a second avalanche.
End of the season
This is a sad end to the climbing season on the Karakoram 8,000’ers. All commercial expeditions have been canceled, as all efforts are now focused on Broad Peak.
This is a bitter time, in particular, for Mingma G of Nepal, who had a close relationship with many of the victims. Mingma’s Imagine Nepal and Nirmal Purja’s EliteExped teams often joined forces on bold summit pushes, at times after other teams had retreated. That happened on Gasherbrum II this year, K2 last year, and Cho Oyu in 2023.
Mingma’s lead guide, Kili Pemba Sherpa, known as Kilu, was also hit by the avalanche while leading Wang Zhong of China. Kilu, Nirmal Purja, and Mingma G were part of the celebrated Nepalese team that did the first winter ascent of K2 in 2021.
Wang and Kilu Sherpa. Photo: Mingma G
Finally, Pakistani alpinist and guide Sohail Sakhi collaborated with Mingma G earlier this year to open the route and fix ropes on Kangchenjunga, again ahead of everyone else, in difficult conditions.
