Broad Peak Search for Missing Climbers Suspended

The search operation to recover the remains of Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi and two foreign climbers missing after the Broad Peak avalanche has been suspended. Rescue officials stated on Friday that the mission was halted due to the continuing risk of fresh avalanches. Search teams had spent eight days attempting to locate Sohail Sakhi, American climber Sarah Mallory Geis, and Nepalese climber Nawang Thindu Sherpa. A leg believed to belong to Ms. Geis had been recovered earlier. Officials confirmed that Nawang Thindu Sherpa’s body has been located but cannot be retrieved at this time due to its position in a highly dangerous, avalanche-prone area. Rescue efforts are expected to resume once weather conditions improve and the area is deemed safe. Meanwhile, the bodies of five foreign climbers killed in the avalanche were flown from Skardu to Islamabad on Friday for repatriation. These remains were received by Airport Manager Aftab Ali Shah Gillani, ASF Chief Security Officer Muhammad Rashid, and other officials. Repatriation plans indicate that the remains of three climbers will be sent to Nepal, while Nirmal Purja’s body will be repatriated to the UK. The family of Chinese climber Zhong is expected in Islamabad to collect his body.

The bodies of five Nepali climbers, who died in an avalanche on Broad Peak, have been transported from Skardu to Islamabad.

The climbers were among ten who went missing after a deadly avalanche struck the mountain on July 31. A joint search operation by Pakistan Army Aviation and ground teams has so far recovered the bodies of eight climbers. Available reports indicate that renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja is among those whose bodies were recovered.

According to Deputy Commissioner Hamza Murad, the five bodies were flown to Islamabad and have been placed in the mortuary at PIMS hospital. The remains will be handed over to the Nepalese embassy for repatriation to Nepal once travel documents are finalized.

Meanwhile, the search operation is still underway for the two remaining missing climbers, identified as Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi and a foreign female climber.

The bodies of five climbers, previously recovered from Broad Peak, have now been transported from Skardu to Islamabad.

The recovery operation on Broad Peak entered its final stages on Thursday after Pakistan Army helicopters evacuated the bodies of five more climbers killed in a devastating avalanche last week, bringing the number of recovered victims to eight. The climbers were among a 10-member international expedition that was struck by an avalanche on July 31 on the slopes of the 8,051-metre mountain in Gilgit-Baltistan. The latest recovery included celebrated British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja, along with Chinese climber Zhong Wang and Nepali climbers Nima Sherpa, Gyalu Sherpa, and Kilu Sherpa. Three bodies had earlier been recovered from the mountain on August 01. The recovered bodies were transported from the mountain’s base camp to a military facility in Skardu, where arrangements are being made for their onward transfer.

Pakistan Army Aviation has successfully recovered seven foreign climbers' bodies and the partial remains of an American female climber from Broad Peak. The missing climbers included individuals from the USA, China, Nepal, Oman, and Pakistan, following the avalanche that struck a 10-member international expedition.