Renowned | Pakistan

Renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja died along with other team members in a powerful avalanche on Broad Peak, his climbing company confirmed on Saturday. The avalanche struck on Thursday, cutting off contact with the international expedition led by 43-year-old British-Nepali climber Purja. “It is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Nirmal Purja tragically lost his life following the avalanche on Broad Peak,” Purja’s company Elite Expeditions said on social media. “We have also received confirmation that other members of the expedition sadly did not survive,” it added. The remains recovered so far — flown by helicopter to hospital for formal identification — included an American woman, an Omani woman and a Nepali man, the Gilgit-Baltistan government said in a statement released on Friday night. Purja, who served with Britain’s Brigade of Gurkhas before joining the Special Boat Squadron of the Royal Marines, broke multiple climbing records since becoming a full-time mountaineer and t...