A screenshot of the Alpine Club of Pakistan's Instagram post with the latest update on the search and recovery operation Photo: Official Instagram account of the Alpine Club of Pakistan

Four more bodies, including that of Chinese mountaineer Wang Zhong, have been recovered after a significant avalanche struck a 10-member international climbing team led by renowned British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja on Broad Peak in Karakoram mountain range in Pakistan on July 30, Alpine Club of Pakistan's official social media accounts shows. 

According to the latest post from the Alpine Club of Pakistan's Instagram account on Sunday, three bodies have already been reportedly recovered, while four identified climbers are being brought down to Camp 1 and downwards by the ground rescue team. The four recovered climbers are Nirmal "Nims Dai" Purja, Wang Zhong, Nima Sherpa, and Kili Pemba Sherpa "Kilu."

An earlier post from the club said that the ground rescue team reached Nirmal Purja "Nims Dai" at approximately 5,700 meters on Broad Peak, where three additional bodies had also been sighted.  

On August 1, Elite Exped, the mountaineering company co-founded by Purja, confirmed his death in an Instagram post on its official account, the post also said that Elite Exped has received confirmation that other members of the expedition did not survive. 

There is one additional body remaining at a significantly higher elevation on Broad Peak, and due to the extremely hazardous location and terrain, a recovery attempt is unlikely at this stage, according to the latest post from the club. 

According to its Instagram account, the Alpine Club of Pakistan is the official authority responsible for certifying and verifying first climbs, treks, and mountain-pass explorations in the country.

Before the tragedy, Wang, 52, was attempting to complete the challenge of climbing all 14 of the world's peaks above 8,000 meters. He had already summited 12 of them, with Broad Peak being his 13th, according to a report by the Yangtse Evening Post. 

Purja, 43, was widely known by his nickname "Nimsdai." In 2019, he became the fastest mountaineer to summit all 14 of the world's peaks above 8,000 meters, completing the feat in just six months and six days. The achievement was recognized by Guinness World Records and established him as one of the world's best-known high-altitude climbers, per Xinhua. 

Several other Nepali climbers have also been identified among the victims. Nepalese Prime Minister Barendra Shah paid tribute to Purja and other Nepali climbers in a social media post, Nepalese media outlet Republica reported on Saturday. Nepal's Kathmandu Daily described the tragedy as a "concentrated loss of internationally recognized and highly accomplished climbers in a single mountain disaster."

The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan on Saturday confirmed that a Chinese mountaineer went missing in an avalanche near Broad Peak in Pakistan on Thursday, and has activated consular protection emergency response mechanism and urged Pakistani authorities to make every effort in the search and rescue operations, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday. 

Broad Peak, which rises 8,047 meters above sea level, is the world's 12th-highest mountain, according to Xinhua. 

The Global Times has reached out to both the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan and the Pakistani authorities regarding updates on search and recovery progress and follow-up arrangements related to the incident, but had not received a response from either side by press time.

Global Times