• Alpine Club seeks helicopter support, says it is in touch with authorities
• Another 8-member team summits Gasherbrum II; over 200 climbers advance on K2, Gasherbrum peaks

GILGIT: The Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) said it was deeply concerned after it lost contact with a 10-member international climbing team on Broad Peak, after an avalanche struck around midday on Thursday.

The avalanche on the 8,047-metre peak hit an expedition led by renowned mountaineer Nir­mal ‘Nims’ Purja, according to initial reports from the club.

The team comprises Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi of Hunza, five Nepalese climbers, an American, an Omani, a Chinese, and one other foreign climber.

According to ACP’s Karrar Haidri, the club was closely monitoring the situation. A statement issued on Wednesday night said that they were coordinating with government authorities and rescue agencies to mobilise helicopter support and ground rescue teams as soon as weather and operational conditions allow.

According to the climbers’ GPS locations, they had been thrown down a full kilometre by the avalanche, and were likely trapped.

The team had launched its summit bid on Broad Peak on Wednesday, targeting the summit by Friday. ACP General Secretary Ayaz Shigri told Dawn the climbers were heading to Camp 3 on Thursday when the avalanche struck.

“The club prays for the safety and successful rescue of all the climbers and stands in solidarity with their families and the international mountaineering community during this difficult time,” the club said in a statement.

Gasherbrum II summit

The incident came on what would have been an otherwise eventful day at the northern peaks of Pakistan, as more than 200 foreign climbers advanced toward higher camps on K2 (8,611m), Gasherbrum I (8,080m) and Broad Peak (8,047m) after improving weather opened a summit window.

Earlier on Thursday morning, an eight-member foreign expedition team summited Gasherbrum II (8,035 metres). According to Seven Summit Treks, the climbers reached the peak between 4:50am and 5:05am.

The summit team included British-Pakistani mountaineer Nadia Azad, Brazilian climber Roman Andrade Romancini, and six Nepalese mountaineers: Lakpa Sherpa, Lhakpa Temba Sherpa, Pasang Tenje Sherpa — who climbed without supplemental oxygen — Tashi Sherpa, Ngima Dorchi Sherpa, and Dawasange Sherpa.

Lhakpa Temba Sherpa completed his 14th and final 8,000-metre peak during the ascent, earning congratulations from Seven Summit Treks and the Alpine Club of Pakistan for joining elite mountaineering ranks.

For Azad, Gasherbrum II marked her fifth 8,000-metre summit, following previous ascents of Everest, Lhotse, Annapurna, and Manaslu.

After completing acclimatisation rotations, the team had waited at base camp for favourable weather following a halt on July 21, before launching their summit push from Camp 3 on Wednesday.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2026