KATHMANDU: A rescue team led by renowned Nepali mountaineer Mingma G has recovered the bodies of four climbers, including celebrated climber Nirmal Purja “Nimsdai,” from Pakistan’s Broad Peak and brought them to the mountain’s base camp.
The bodies of Purja, Nima Sherpa and Chinese climber Zhong Wang, which had remained stranded for a week at an altitude of around 5,000 meters in the Karakoram range, were brought to base camp on Wednesday. The Pakistan Alpine Club confirmed that the bodies of Purja, Zhong Wang, Nima Sherpa and Kilu Sherpa had all been recovered.
The rescue team included Pakistani climbers Sirbaz Khan, Abid Baig and Sherbaz, along with Dipen Gurung and Pema Chewang Sherpa from Imagine Nepal Treks. The team reached the recovery site within a few hours after departing from base camp on Wednesday morning.
According to the rescuers, the three bodies were moved to a safer, flatter section of the mountain where the bodies of Kilu Sherpa and Gyalu Sherpa had previously been placed.
The rescue team described the operation as one of the most difficult ever undertaken, citing the constant threat of avalanches in the area.
Due to poor weather conditions, all four bodies remain at base camp and are awaiting helicopter transport to Skardu once conditions improve.
Purja’s family is preparing to bring his body back to Nepal for his final rites. Calls have also been made for the government to declare him a national figure in recognition of his contributions to mountaineering.
Member of Parliament and Elite Exped co-director Mingma Gyabu Sherpa is currently in Pakistan coordinating the recovery operation and the repatriation of the bodies.
Last Friday, the remains of Omani climber Nadhira Al Harthy, Nepali climber Pur Bahadur Gurung “Yukta” and the leg of American climber Mallory Gais were airlifted to Skardu.
The body of Nawang Thindu Sherpa, which remains above 6,000 meters in a high-risk zone, has yet to be recovered. Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi, who was caught in the avalanche on July 30, also remains missing.
Ten climbers were killed when a massive avalanche struck below Camp III on Broad Peak last Thursday morning during a summit push. The tragedy is regarded as one of the deadliest mountaineering disasters ever recorded in Pakistan’s Karakoram region.
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