Nims Purja’s last message before Broad Peak avalanche: ‘I ask for nothing but safe passage’
mountaineer Nirmal Purja, popularly known as ‘Nimsdai’, has died after an avalanche hit Broad Peak in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s Gilgit-Baltistan. (Photo: X/@nimsdai)Mountaineer Nirmal Purja, known as Nimsdai, has died after an avalanche struck Broad Peak in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s Gilgit-Baltistan, where he was leading an expedition on Thursday.
Elite Exped, the mountaineering company Purja co-founded, confirmed his death in a statement on Saturday, saying other members of the expedition also did not survive. The company named two of his climbing partners, Pur Bahadur Gurung and Nima Sherpa, among those lost, and asked for the families’ privacy to be respected as they grieve.
Why was he on Broad Peak?
Purja, a British-Nepali climber and holder of several mountaineering records, had not originally planned to climb Broad Peak. In a post on X on 27 July, he explained that his focus had been a separate project called Hattrick, centred on climbing G2.
THE MISSION SHIFTS. THE COMPASS HOLDS.
This was never the plan. Initially, the plan was to climb just G2. But just before setting off for Pakistan, I ran the numbers on my 8000m summits. That’s when it hit me: if I tick off Broad Peak whilst I’m here , only one remains “Cho… pic.twitter.com/rovJzFcazP
— Nirmal Purja MBE (@nimsdai) July 27, 2026
Just before leaving for Pakistan, he worked out that adding pic.twitter.com/rovJzFcazP
— Nirmal Purja MBE (@nimsdai) July 27, 2026
How did the search unfold?
Purja’s tracking device initially showed movement after Thursday’s avalanche, raising hopes he had survived. Rescue teams believed for a time that he was alive and conscious, awaiting rescue. As search efforts continued, it became increasingly unlikely that anyone would be found alive.
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World · PoK · Mountaineering
Nirmal “Nims” Purja and nine teammates killed in Broad Peak avalanche
An avalanche on Broad Peak, in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), has killed record-breaking mountaineer Nims Purja and his teammates. His company, Elite Exped, confirmed his death on Saturday; there were no survivors among the 10-member team.
.Confirmed by Elite Exped · no survivors
A modern climbing legend
Nepal-born Nirmal “Nims” Purja was one of the most celebrated high-altitude mountaineers of his generation. He was leading this expedition for his company, Elite Exped, when the avalanche struck. On Saturday, Elite Exped confirmed his death.
“Today it is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Nirmal ‘Nimsdai’ Purja tragically lost his life following the avalanche on Broad Peak.”
— Elite Exped, in an Instagram statement
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Climbed all 14 peaks above 8,000 m in 189 days in 2019 — a world record that stunned the sport.
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Subject of the Netflix documentary “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.”
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Part of the team that made the first winter ascent of K2 in 2021.
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Holds the record for the fastest ascent of all 14 eight-thousanders and multiple Guinness World Records.
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A former Gurkha and UK Special Boat Service soldier — 16 years in the British military before climbing.
Profile per CNN, Al Jazeera, Kathmandu Post and Climbing. Elite Exped confirmed Purja’s death on Saturday, August 1.
A record-breaking career
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2003
Joins the British Army’s Brigade of Gurkhas.
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2009
Becomes the first Gurkha to join the UK’s Special Boat Service, an elite Royal Navy unit.
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2019
Climbs all 14 eight-thousanders in 189 days (“Project Possible”), shattering the previous record of nearly eight years.
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2021
Part of the all-Nepali team that makes the first-ever winter ascent of K2.
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July 2026
Killed in an avalanche on Broad Peak, aged 43, while leading an Elite Exped team.
Career milestones per CNN, BBC and Kathmandu Post. Dates for his military service reflect his widely published biography.
Nims Purja, by the numbers
43
years old
14
eight-thousanders climbed
189
days for all 14 (2019)
16
years a British soldier
1st
winter ascent of K2 (2021)
Multiple
Guinness World Records
Verified figures only. Age reflects his July 1983 birth. Some circulating totals (e.g. lifetime 8,000 m summits) vary by source and are not included here.
How the tragedy unfolded
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Thu, July 30 · morning
The 10-member team moves up from Camp II toward Camp III on Broad Peak’s West Ridge.
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Around 9 a.m.
A massive avalanche strikes at about 6,579 m, between the two camps.
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Moments later
GPS trackers show sudden descents of hundreds of metres; the team loses contact and the alarm is raised.
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Thu–Sat
Two Pakistan Army helicopters deploy; poor weather suspends flights on Friday, and the search resumes Saturday. K2 expeditions are cancelled to help.
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Saturday, Aug 1
Elite Exped confirms Purja’s death and says the rest of the team did not survive. Recovery of the climbers continues as weather allows.
Sequence per Climbing, Outside, Al Jazeera and CNN. A developing search; details may change.
The 10-member expedition
10
climbers on the team
10
confirmed dead
0
survivors
Nirmal “Nims” Purja NEPAL · leader
Confirmed dead
Pur Bahadur “Yukta” Gurung NEPAL
Confirmed dead
Nima Sherpa NEPAL
Confirmed dead
Gyalu Sherpa NEPAL
Confirmed dead
Nawang Thindu Sherpa NEPAL
Confirmed dead
Kili Pemba Sherpa NEPAL
Confirmed dead
Sohail Sakhi PAKISTAN
Confirmed dead
Wang Zhong CHINA
Confirmed dead
Mallory Geis USA
Confirmed dead
Nadhira Al Harthy OMAN
Confirmed dead
By nationality: Nepal 6 · Pakistan 1 · USA 1 · China 1 · Oman 1. Al Harthy was the first Omani woman to summit Everest.
Names and status per Elite Exped, Seven Summit Treks, Imagine Nepal Treks, the Alpine Club of Pakistan and the Gilgit-Baltistan government (via Kathmandu Post, Al Jazeera, CNN). Recovery of the climbers is ongoing.
Broad Peak at a glance
Height8,051 m
RankWorld’s 12th-highest peak
First ascent1957 (Austrian expedition)
LocationKarakoram, Gilgit-Baltistan (PoK)
Notable neighbourSits beside K2
How it compares
Everest8,849 m · #1
K28,611 m · #2
Kangchenjunga8,586 m · #3
Broad Peak8,051 m · #12
Where the avalanche struck
Broad Peak summit8,051 m
Camp III target~7,100 m
Avalanche zone between camps~6,579 m
Camp II start of push~6,300 m
Base camp · near K2~4,900 m
Heights per Reuters, Al Jazeera and Kathmandu Post (Broad Peak is also cited as 8,047 m by some sources). Camp altitudes are approximate; the avalanche point (~6,579 m) is from climbers’ GPS data.
Sources: Reuters · Elite Exped (death confirmation) · Alpine Club of Pakistan · Gilgit-Baltistan government · Al Jazeera · CNN · Kathmandu Post. Recovery of the climbers is ongoing.
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A drone flown from base camp later spotted what appeared to be the bodies of four climbers, including Purja, Kili Pemba Sherpa, Nima Sherpa and Wang Zhong, near Camp I on the mountain’s Concordia side. Search teams said as many as ten climbers caught in the avalanche may have died.
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His background
Born in Nepal, Purja served in the military for 16 years, including six years with the Gurkha regiment and a decade with UK Special Forces. He later became one of three mountaineers running Elite Exped, alongside Mingma David Sherpa and Tejan Gurung.
He became internationally known in 2019 for climbing all 14 of the world’s peaks above 8,000 metres in under seven months, a feat later documented in a Netflix film. His mountaineering career began somewhat by chance, during a 2012 trek to Everest Base Camp, when he decided to continue to the summit instead of turning back as planned. He was also honoured as a Member of the Order of the British Empire.
How did he respond to criticism?
Purja had faced scrutiny over parts of his career, including his 2019 record climb. In his final post, he wrote that he had never measured himself against other climbers, only against his own past performance, and urged himself and others to stay focused on their own path rather than external opinions.
He pointed to the Netflix documentary as an accurate record of what that record attempt had involved, including rescuing other climbers and self-funding parts of the expedition, and said he intended to keep pursuing new goals despite ongoing criticism.
