Nirmal Purja dies: Record-holding Nepali climber caught in Pakistan avalanche

Record-holding Nepali climber Nirmal Purja dies in Pakistan avalanche

Nirmal Purja, the fastest climber to summit all 14 eight-thousanders, died in an avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak. Nepal's prime minister confirmed the deaths of Purja and other climbers in his team.

Scraper SystemAugust 01, 2026, 08:06 PM

Record-holding Nepali climber Nirmal Purja dies in Pakistan avalanche

Nirmal Purja, one of the most recognized figures in mountaineering, died after being caught in an avalanche during a climb in Pakistan. His tourism company Elite Exped announced the news of his death on social media.

In an Instagram post, Elite Exped said: "It is with deep sorrow and unbearable pain that we confirm the tragic death of Nirmal 'Nimsdai' Purja on Broad Peak due to an avalanche. We have also confirmed that, unfortunately, the other participants on the expedition did not survive." The statement stressed that one of the world’s greatest climbers had been lost.

The 43-year-old Purja was caught in an avalanche on July 30 while climbing the 8,047-meter Broad Peak. GPS data showed he was at an altitude of 6,660 meters when the avalanche struck, and was swept more than 600 meters down in just 30 minutes. The device of Omani climber Nadhira Al Harthi recorded a fall of 1,600 meters.

Elite Exped co-founder Mingma Gyabu Sherpa said they were initially hopeful because Purja’s GPS signals continued moving, but rescue efforts had to be halted due to bad weather. Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah confirmed the deaths of Purja and all team members in a statement on August 1, saying, "Their courage, dedication, and legacy will forever remain a source of inspiration."

A record-breaking career

Born in a small village in Nepal, Nirmal Purja joined the British Army's Gurkha brigade in 2003. In 2009, he became the first Gurkha to be accepted into the British Royal Navy Special Forces. Introduced to mountaineering during an Everest expedition in 2012, Purja quickly rose in the field. In 2017, he made a name for himself by climbing Everest, Lhotse, and Makalu in just five days.

Purja gained his greatest fame in 2019 by climbing all 14 eight-thousand-meter peaks in just 189 days, shattering the previous record. In 2024, he set a new record by summiting all those peaks without supplemental oxygen. Queen Elizabeth II awarded him the Order of the British Empire in 2018 for his outstanding mountaineering achievements.

Final climb and his targeted record

Purja had not initially planned to climb Broad Peak for 2026. However, at the end of July he changed his mind and headed for the summit with a team of 10 professional climbers. In a post on X, he wrote: "Shortly before leaving for Pakistan, I recounted my climbs above 8,000 meters. If I now climb Broad Peak, only Cho Oyu will remain. That would make me the FIRST person in history to climb all 14 eight-thousanders twice. Without oxygen."

The story of the climber, who said he wanted "to show that there are no limits to human potential," reached millions through the 2021 Netflix documentary "14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible." Purja's death was met with great sorrow in the international mountaineering community.

Record-holding Nepali climber Nirmal Purja dies in Pakistan avalanche