Nepal’s Foreign Ministry coordinates with Pakistan as search continues for missing Broad Peak expedition

ISLAMABAD / KATHMANDU — Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed it is coordinating closely with Pakistani authorities and the Alpine Club of Pakistan to facilitate search and rescue operations following a massive avalanche on Broad Peak that swept away a ten-member international expedition led by renowned climber Nirmal “Nims Dai” Purja.

In an official press statement issued from Singha Durbar, the Ministry confirmed that its embassy in Islamabad is maintaining constant contact with host government officials to ensure all available resources—including Pakistan Army Aviation helicopters and specialized ground personnel—are engaged on the 8,047-meter mountain. The missing team includes six Nepali nationals alongside climbers from the United States, China, Oman, and Pakistan.

Among the missing Nepali team members are veteran high-altitude guides Pur Bahadur Gurung “Yukta”—who was closing in on completing the 14-peaks challenge—and 15-time Everest summiteer Kili Pemba Sherpa, alongside Nima Sherpa, Nawang Thindu Sherpa, and Gyalu Sherpa.

Rescuers have located GPS signals from four tracking devices at elevations between 6,000 and 7,000 meters. While ground search teams reported recovering four bodies from the avalanche zone, official identifications remain ongoing. Both Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Tourism maintain the official status of all six Nepali expedition members as missing pending formal confirmation.