A Pakistani search team has brought the bodies of renowned climber Nirmal Purja and three members of his expedition to Broad Peak base camp after they were killed in an avalanche on July 30, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said on Wednesday.
The recovery follows a technically demanding operation on one of the world's highest mountains.
What happened to Nirmal Purja on Broad Peak?
Nirmal Purja, a British-Nepali mountaineer, died when an avalanche struck his 10-member expedition on Broad Peak on July 30. Search teams have recovered the bodies of Purja and three fellow climbers and transported them to base camp, while three climbers remain missing.
The Alpine Club of Pakistan said the bodies of Purja, Chinese climber Zhong Wang, and Nepali climbers Nima Sherpa and Kilu Sherpa had been successfully recovered after what it described as an exceptionally challenging operation on Broad Peak.
"While today marks an important milestone, three climbers remain missing," the club said in a statement posted on social media.
It said efforts to locate and recover the remaining climbers would continue whenever weather and mountain conditions allow, with the aim of returning them to their families.
Who is still missing after the Broad Peak avalanche?
The bodies of three other expedition members, an American woman, an Omani woman, and a Nepali man, had already been airlifted to the northern Pakistani city of Skardu.
The remains of two Nepali nationals and one Pakistani climber have yet to be recovered.
Purja's company confirmed there were no survivors after the avalanche severed contact with the expedition on July 30.
The tragedy has sent shockwaves through the global mountaineering community. Tul Singh Gurung, president of Nepal's National Mountain Guide Association, said the disaster had claimed "a generation of accomplished mountaineers."
The Alpine Club of Pakistan said the recovered bodies would be returned to their families.
"We hope this recovery brings them a measure of peace and the opportunity to lay their loved ones to rest with the dignity they deserve," the club said.
Why is Broad Peak considered one of the world's toughest climbs?
Broad Peak, the world's 12th-highest mountain, stands in Pakistan's Karakoram range and is regarded as one of the most demanding climbs among the world's 8,000-metre peaks because of its steep terrain and challenging conditions.
The mountain was first successfully summited in 1957 by an Austrian expedition.
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