Purja's Body Found; Safety Concerns for Broad Peak Searchers

Nirmal Purja’s body and three others were moved from the avalanche site but they remain on the mountain. Rescuers are determined to return all the dead climbers home to their families, but the operation involves high risks for them, too. A long-line operation might not be an option.

The eight-member ground team found the lifeless body of Purja at 5,700m and brought it back to Camp 1. They were also able to find the remains of Wang Zhong of China, and Nima Sherpa and Kili Pemba “Kilu” Sherpa of Nepal.

They successfully brought down Kilu’s body, but the other climbers remain at some 5,000m on difficult terrain. The plan was to bring them down to the so-called Japanese Camp (currently not used by standard expeditions), located on flatter ground below Camp 1. (Check the map in the link below):

“Rescuers have also confirmed the presence of one additional body at a significantly higher elevation [but] due to the extremely hazardous terrain and prevailing conditions, it is unlikely that a recovery attempt will be made at this stage,” the Alpine Club of Pakistan wrote on social media.

The avalanche swept the bodies well off the normal route, and the ground team is taking significant risks to reach them. Their best option is a long-line retrieval by helicopter, and they have made this request to the Pakistan Army.

Helicopters fly in front of K2 in the traditional, paired formation. Photo: Naila Kiani

However, while such operations are common in Nepal, military pilots in Pakistan are usually not allowed to perform such civilian operations due to safety concerns. The Alpine Club of Pakistan confirmed the request and noted that they are assessing options, but if they deem the operation too risky for the pilots, they may not allow it.

Long-line rescues and pick-ups with helicopters in high mountains are highly complex maneuvers, and they may not be possible if the terrain is very steep. It requires being under the altitude roof of the helicopter and on flat enough ground to keep the rotors from striking the slope.

On Saturday, the rescuers reached some of the bodies for the first time and carried another Nepalese climber down to Base Camp. After some contradictory reports, he was identified as Gyalu Sherpa, a guide with Seven Summit Treks. Gyalu was an experienced Sherpa guide who summited Manaslu in winter and climbed Kangchenjunga a record three times in a single season.

Gyalu Sherpa on the summit of Manaslu in January 2023. Photo: Gyalu Sherpa/Instagram

So far, searchers have reached eight of the 10 climbers swept away by the massive avalanche that hit the normal route of Broad Peak on July 30. There is no confirmation yet on the location of Nawang Thindu Sherpa of Nepal and Sohail Sakhi of Pakistan.

It is for the families, whenever possible. In most cultures, having a body to mourn is essential to the farewell stage and to eventually overcoming the tragedy. In addition, there are religious aspects involved. While some families prefer that the remains of their loved ones stay on the mountains they loved so much, others feel a duty to bring their lost ones home in order to perform the proper funeral rituals.

Candles flickered on the streets of Skardu as a tribute to the fallen climbers on Winter K2 in 2021. Photo: John Snorri/Facebook

The limit should be on the risks to rescuers. We saw a heartbreaking example of this when Sergei Nilov of Russia returned to the highly dangerous Gasherbrum IV to retrieve the remains of his late climbing partner, Dmitry Golovchenko, who died there the previous year. Not only was Golovchenko’s body nowhere to be found, but a subsequent avalanche took Nilov’s life. He left behind a wife and six children.

Yet, it is also up to the individual rescuers, some of whom were close friends of the deceased and have strong motivations to recover them.

It is worth mentioning that the pain-stricken family of Sohail Sakhi has assumed his body will not be found and has taken the difficult decision to perform the final rituals. They asked relatives and friends to join them in prayer today.