Key Takeaways
- An avalanche struck a 10-member international climbing team on Broad Peak, leaving them missing.
- The Alpine Club of Pakistan is coordinating with authorities to mobilize rescue efforts.
- Over 200 foreign climbers are advancing towards higher camps on K2 and other peaks.
The Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) has issued a statement expressing deep concern over the safety of ten international climbers who went missing after an avalanche struck Broad Peak, an 8,047-metre peak in Gilgit-Baltistan. The incident occurred around midday on Thursday.
According to initial reports from the ACP, the team comprises Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi and five Nepalese climbers, along with one American, one Omani, a Chinese, and another foreign climber. The expedition was led by renowned mountaineer Nirmal 'Nims' Purja.
ACP General Secretary Ayaz Shigri stated that the club is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with government authorities and rescue agencies to mobilize helicopter support and ground rescue teams as soon as weather and operational conditions allow.
The climbers had launched their summit bid on Broad Peak on Wednesday, aiming for a summit by Friday. According to ACP's Karrar Haidri, the team was heading to Camp 3 when the avalanche struck, throwing them down a full kilometre and likely trapping them.
In a separate development, an eight-member foreign expedition team summited Gasherbrum II (8,035 metres) on Thursday morning. The summit team included British-Pakistani mountaineer Nadia Azad and six Nepalese climbers: Lakpa Sherpa, Lhakpa Temba Sherpa, Pasang Tenje Sherpa, Tashi Sherpa, Ngima Dorchi Sherpa, and Dawasange Sherpa.
Lhakpa Temba Sherpa completed his 14th and final 8,000-metre peak during the ascent, earning congratulations from Seven Summit Treks and the Alpine Club of Pakistan for joining elite mountaineering ranks. Nadia Azad marked her fifth 8,000-metre summit with this achievement.
The incident comes on what would have been an otherwise eventful day at the northern peaks of Pakistan, as more than 200 foreign climbers advanced toward higher camps on K2 (8,611m), Gasherbrum I (8,080m) and Broad Peak after improving weather opened a summit window.
The Alpine Club of Pakistan expressed its prayers for the safety and successful rescue of all the climbers and stood in solidarity with their families and the international mountaineering community during this difficult time.
