ISLAMABAD (AP) 鈥� Ten international climbers led by a renowned Nepal-born mountaineer were missing after an avalanche struck , one of the world鈥檚 highest mountains in northern Pakistan.
The Alpine Club of Pakistan received initial reports that the avalanche struck the team led by Nirmal Purja and the climbers have been out of communication since then, club Vice President Karrar Haidri said in a statement late Thursday.
The expedition includes five Nepalese climbers, Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi of Hunza, Omani climber Nathira, American climber Mallory Geis, a Chinese climber identified as Wang, and another foreign climber, Haidri said.
The club’s president, Maj. Gen. Irfan Arshad, and its senior leaders were in contact with government officials to facilitate an immediate search-and-rescue operation.
The club said every effort was being made to mobilize helicopters and other rescue resources quickly, subject to weather and operational conditions.
whom the club identified by a second name, Nims Dai, is a Nepal-born British citizen who scaled the world’s 14 highest peaks in 189 days in 2019, holding a record for the fastest climb until a Norwegian woman and her Nepali Sherpa guide in 2023. Purja鈥檚 climbs were made into a popular Netflix documentary, 鈥�14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible.鈥�
Moving Mountains, a travel company based in Pakistan, announced late last month that the expedition team was on its way to the small town of Askole and wished them a safe journey climbing Broad Peak. The company said this was Geis鈥� first try at an 8,000-meter peak in Pakistan, while it was expected to be Sakhi鈥檚 final one.
Sakhi is a guide for the company, as well as a geographer and high-altitude photographer, and has climbed some of the world鈥檚 major peaks, according to Moving Mountains鈥� website.
Geis, 39, lives in San Antonio and is an avid traveler who loves being outdoors, according to her Instagram page. She announced on social media earlier this year that she was closing her Pilates studio to take 鈥渁 giant leap of faith into the unknown to see where life goes. I have a sneaking suspicion there will be lots of helmets, harnesses, and crampons involved.鈥�
The 8,047-meter (26,401-foot) Broad Peak in the Karakoram range is the world’s 12th highest mountain. and climbers flock from all over the world to attempt to scale the summits.
鈥淭he Alpine Club of Pakistan is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with all concerned stakeholders,鈥� the statement said. It added that the club stands in solidarity with the climbers鈥� families and the international mountaineering community.
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