SKARDU, Gilgit-Baltistan: Five bodies recovered after the Broad Peak avalanche, including renowned British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja, were airlifted to Skardu by Pakistan Army helicopters on Thursday.
The recovered climbers were identified as Purja, Chinese mountaineer Wang Zhong and Nepali climbers Nima Sherpa, Gyalu Sherpa and Kili Pemba Sherpa. They were flown from Broad Peak base camp to Skardu and transferred to a military hospital.
Three other bodies had been brought down earlier, taking the number recovered to eight. Two members of the 10-person international expedition remained missing as search efforts continued, according to the latest Associated Press report.
🇵🇰 Pakistan Army Aviation has recovered the bodies of seven foreign climbers following a deadly avalanche on Broad Peak, with rescue operations ongoing for the remaining missing mountaineers. pic.twitter.com/FDc0Am4AkA
— Abdullah Sidhu (@Abdullah_Sidhu1) August 6, 2026Major General (Retired) Irfan Arshad Khan, president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, praised the military and civilian teams involved in the difficult recovery operation. Earlier rescue efforts had been repeatedly disrupted by severe weather and high-altitude conditions.
Broad Peak, an 8,047-metre mountain in Pakistan’s Karakoram range, is the world’s 12th-highest peak. The avalanche struck an international climbing expedition involving mountaineers from Pakistan, Nepal, China, Oman, the United States and Britain.
Read: Nirmal Purja’s Body Recovered After Broad Peak Avalanche
The bodies recovered on Thursday were being prepared for onward transfer to Islamabad in coordination with the relevant embassies. The latest independent verification did not confirm that the transfer to Islamabad had already been completed.
