Brit trek chief’s chilling ‘not within the plan’ message earlier than Broad Peak avalanche kills 4
Nims Purja and nine other climbers are missing after a Broad Peak avalanche in Pakistan – the record-breaking mountaineer shared an ominous message on social media just days before the disaster
Nirmal ‘Nims’ Purja, who is now missing after an avalanche on the world’s 12th highest peak(Image: PR Alan)
Record-breaking mountaineer and former British Marine Nirmal ‘Nims’ Purja hadn’t originally intended to tackle Broad Peak. But he chose to lead a doomed 10-person expedition up the world’s 12th-highest mountain.
Now he and the climbing team he was guiding, consisting of nine mountaineers, are missing following an avalanche that struck Pakistan’s Broad Peak at midday on Thursday (July 30); the 12th tallest peak globally.
Senior Pakistani government officials said four bodies were located on Friday and rescuers are continuing to search for the other six, according to the Associated Press (AP). The officials did not give details about the identities of those found.
Five Nepalese climbers, headed by Purja, Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi from Hunza, Omani climber Nadhira, American mountaineer Mallory Geis, Chinese climber Mr Wang, and another foreign climber were all part of the expedition with Purja. None have been contacted since.
Trekkers and porters trekking on Godwin-Austen glacier towards Broad peak base camp(Image: Getty Images)
Regarding Purja, he turned to social media platform X – previously Twitter – to express his thoughts just days before disappearing atop Broad Peak in Pakistan’s Karakoram mountain range, reports the Mirror.
The renowned climber posted: “This was never the plan. Initially, the plan was to climb just G2. But just before setting off for Pakistan, I ran the numbers on my 8000m summits. That’s when it hit me: if I tick off Broad Peak while I’m here only one remains: [the world’s 6th tallest peak, which borders China and Nepal] Cho Oyu. Then I become the FIRST person in history to climb all 14 eight-thousanders twice. Without oxygen.”
He continued: “Broad Peak, I ask for nothing but safe passage up and back down. I take zero mountains for granted. Not one. The moment my foot leaves basecamp, it’s 100%. Always has been. Always will be.”
Former Special Boat Service member Nirmal ‘Nims’ Purja MBE had been descending Mt Annapurna during his Guinness World Record breaking climb
Despite the sombre tone of Purja’s July 27 post on X in light of recent events, there remains a glimmer of hope. According to his business partner, Mingma Gyabu Sherpa, a tracking device carried by Purja has shown movement following the terrifying avalanche.
Speaking to Kantipur Daily on Friday morning, Mingma Gyabu Sherpa – a fellow mountaineer and member of Nepal’s House of Representatives – said: “Initially, it appeared that he had been swept downhill by the avalanche. But after the point where the tracking had stopped, the location appears to have shifted again.”
Sherpa added that while the tracking data alone cannot confirm Purja’s condition, it does offer a sliver of hope that there may still be survivors on the mountain.
This update comes as rescue operations were already hindered on Friday (July 31) due to poor weather conditions, with the chances of finding survivors reportedly extremely low, according to Seven Summit Treks general manager Thaneshwar Guragain. He added that adverse weather had grounded rescue helicopters, forcing search parties to commence an initial ground search instead.
Broad Peak summit covered in snow and ice at sunset in Karakoram range in Pakistan
According to Alpine Club of Pakistan senior vice-president Karrar Haidri, a rescue helicopter is prepared to depart from Skardu city, situated in the Pakistan-controlled Gilgit-Baltistan within the contested Kashmir territory, once weather conditions permit.
Alpine Club of Pakistan president Major General Irfan Arshad confirmed its officials were maintaining close communication with government authorities to support the current search and rescue mission.
Arshad stated the organisation was making all possible efforts to deploy helicopters and additional available emergency resources to the location at the earliest opportunity.
Purja completed 16 years of service in the British armed forces, including a decade with UK Special Forces after becoming the first Gurkha to successfully pass the elite SBS selection programme. He subsequently gained worldwide fame by conquering all 14 of the planet’s 8,000-metre summits in a record-breaking six months and six days, an achievement chronicled in the Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.
Nirmal Purja of him on the summit of Kangchenjunga(Image: PA)
In 2018, he received an MBE from Queen Elizabeth II for his outstanding military contributions in high-risk situations.
The Everest Chronicle reports the avalanche occurred just days following Purja’s completion of his 57th triumphant climb of an 8,000-metre summit. He accomplished an oxygen-free ascent of Gasherbrum II on July 21.
He was also approaching the completion of his Hat Trick Campaign to scale all 14 of the 8,000-metre peaks three times each. But his career hasn’t been entirely triumphant – with scandal emerging through claims of sexual assault during expeditions, as detailed by The New York Times.
Broad Peak ranks as the 12th tallest mountain globally. It towers at an altitude of 8,051 metres (26,414 feet) above sea level and is regarded as one of the most challenging summits attempted by mountaineers.
General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, wrote on X: “My thoughts and prayers go out to Nims and his fellow climbers.
“I know I speak for all of the UK armed forces community in hoping they are found and pull through.”
