Rescue teams in northern Pakistan have recovered the remains of three climbers, including an American, after an avalanche swept an international expedition on Broad Peak, while several mountaineers remained unaccounted for, Pakistani officials said Friday.
The American climber was identified as Sarah Mallory Geis. The remains of Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy of Oman and Pur Bahadur Gurung of Nepal were also found Friday, according to local officials. The group of at least 10 climbers was reported missing Thursday after the avalanche struck the mountain in Pakistan’s Karakoram range.
Drone footage from the search area showed signs of several more bodies, local officials said. The discovery raised fears that the death toll could rise as rescue operations continued in difficult terrain.
“We hope to continue our operations, both aerial search and the ground rescue, till the time we find the survivors or the dead bodies,” Irfan Arshad, president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, said Friday.
The rescue effort was temporarily halted Friday night because of weather conditions. Sajid Hussain, deputy director of the tourism department in Gilgit-Baltistan, described the rescue area as “remote and difficult.”
In a statement Friday, Gilgit-Baltistan police said high-altitude porters and rescue teams were working to retrieve the bodies and transport them to base camp. “Due to the extremely rugged terrain and challenging weather conditions, the rescue operation is being carried out with the utmost caution,” the police said.
Officials said the other missing climbers are from Nepal, Pakistan, China and the United Kingdom. Among them is renowned British mountaineer Nirmal Purja, 43, who is of Nepalese origin and set the record for the fastest ascent of the world’s 14 highest mountains. Purja was featured in the Netflix documentary “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.”
At 26,414 feet, Broad Peak is the twelfth-tallest mountain in the world and is known for its challenging conditions. The mountain is popular with experienced climbers but has seen repeated accidents in recent years. The current rescue operation is focused on locating the remaining missing climbers while recovering the bodies already found, officials said.
