31/07/2026 19:54 - Internacionales
July 31, 2026 - The global mountaineering community holds onto hope as a complex rescue operation unfolds on Broad Peak (8,047 meters), the 12th highest mountain in the world, located on the border between Pakistan and China.
According to reports by The Guardian, an avalanche struck an expedition of 11 climbers around 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, at an altitude of 6,579 meters, between Camp Two and Camp Three on the west ridge of the mountain.
The team was led by the renowned Nepali-British mountaineer Nirmal Purja (43 years old), widely known in the climbing world as 'Nims Dai'. For those unfamiliar with the region, rescue efforts led by the Alpine Club of Pakistan have been severely hindered by adverse weather conditions and a lack of private helicopters in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, a remote area where aviation operations are tightly controlled by the military.
Key Tragic Details: A total of 4 bodies have been recovered so far. Authorities have identified Pur Bahadur Gurung (Nepal), Nadhira Alharthy (Oman, who was the first Omani person to summit Mount Everest), and American climber Mallory Geis. Those still missing include Chinese citizen Wang Zhong, five Nepali high-altitude workers (often referred to as sherpas), and one Pakistani climber.
Amidst the difficult news, data from Purja's GPS tracker has sparked a ray of hope. While the tracking devices of Geis and Alharthy showed a rapid fall of 543 meters and 1,651 meters respectively, Purja's business partner, Mingma Gyabu Sherpa, confirmed to local media that Purja's tracker changed location after the initial fall. Ground teams have been dispatched to verify if this signal indicates the alpinist might be closer to the base of the mountain.
Purja is a living legend of mountaineering. In 2019, he made history by climbing all 14 peaks higher than 8,000 meters in just six months (the previous record was seven years), a feat documented by Netflix. He later led the first team to summit K2 in winter. On this expedition with his company, Elite Exped, he was aiming to become the first person to climb all 8,000-meter peaks twice without supplemental oxygen.
Broad Peak, I ask for nothing more than a safe passage back. I take no mountain for granted... My purpose has never been about me. It is about showing that your own mountains, whatever they may be, can be climbed.
Visual drone searches were halted at nightfall on Friday but will resume as soon as weather conditions permit. The international mountaineering community and the families of those affected are waiting with hope for positive news.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
