Tragedy strikes K2 base camp region as a sudden severe snowslide claims the lives of ten climbers, sending shockwaves through the global mountaineering community.
ISLAMABAD:Legendary high-altitude climber Nirmal “Nimsdai” Purja and nine fellow mountaineers have died following a massive avalanche in northern Pakistan, local officials and rescue authorities confirmed on Sunday.
The disaster struck near the high-altitude transit routes in the Karakoram range, where a sudden collapse of ice and snow swept through a group of seasoned high-altitude climbers and local support staff. Search and rescue teams deployed to the harsh terrain managed to reach the site, but emergency personnel confirmed there were no survivors among the ten individuals caught directly in the path of the slide.
Local administrative authorities in Gilgit-Baltistan reported that the expedition encountered unseasonably turbulent weather condition preceding the incident. A sudden shift in temperatures combined with heavy snowfall over the weekend created highly unstable snowpack conditions along the upper reaches of the peak.
Purja, a former British Royal Marine Commando, gained international renown for his extraordinary mountaineering feats, most notably completing the “Project Possible 14/7” in 2019—scaling all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks in six months and six days. He also led the historic first winter ascent of K2 in January 2021 without supplemental oxygen, cementing his legacy as one of the most capable high-altitude mountaineers of his generation.
Rescue operations face severe challenges as cold winds and threat of secondary snowslides persist in the region. Military helicopters and specialized high-altitude mountain rescue personnel have been mobilized to retrieve the bodies and transport them to Skardu for formal identification and administrative procedures.
The global mountaineering community and international expedition organizers expressed profound grief following official confirmation of the loss. Authorities have temporarily halted active climbing permits across nearby routes in the Karakoram range while safety assessments of the current snowpack are conducted.
