Search and Rescue Operations Underway for Missing Climbers on Pakistan’s Broad Peak

Pakistani officials reported the discovery of the remains of an American climber who got caught in an avalanche in Pakistan. The climber, Sarah Mallory Geis, was part of an international group mountaineering on Broad Peak in Pakistan’s Karakoram mountain range. The group went missing on Thursday.

Rescuers also located the bodies of Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy from Oman and Pur Bahadur Gurung from Nepal on Friday. A mountaineers’ rescue team is actively involved in searching for other missing climbers from Nepal, Pakistan, China, and the U.K.

Members of a mountaineers rescue team prepare to depart from an airbase on a search operation for climbers missing after an avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak in Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan, in northern Pakistan, on Friday.

Drone footage indicated the presence of several more bodies in the area. Broad Peak, standing at 26,414 feet, ranks as the twelfth-tallest mountain in the world. Irfan Arshad, president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, stated that operations would continue both aerially and on the ground until all survivors or deceased individuals are located.

The rescue effort was momentarily paused due to adverse weather on Friday night. Sajid Hussain, deputy director of the Gilgit-Baltistan tourism department, described the rescue site as remote and challenging.

The Gilgit-Baltistan police, in a Facebook statement, mentioned that high-altitude porters and rescue teams are striving to retrieve the bodies and bring them to the base camp. They are navigating extreme terrain and difficult weather conditions with utmost caution.

Renowned British mountaineer Nirmal Purja is among those missing. Of Nepalese origin, Purja set a record for the fastest ascent of the world’s 14 highest mountains and was featured in the Netflix documentary “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.”