Nepal mourns ‘generation lost’ to Broad Peak avalanche

• Around 500 mourners, monks gather in Kathmandu
• Funeral of missing Pakistani climber held in Hunza
• Efforts continue to recover bodies amid bad weather

KATHMANDU/GILGIT: Hund­­reds of Nepalis held a candlelight vigil on Tuesday honouring 10 climbers killed in an avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak, as rescuers battled treacherous conditions to recover the remaining bodies.

Buddhist monks in maroon robes chanted prayers and around 500 mourners lit candles and incense in a square in the Nepali capital.

World-renowned British-Nepali climber Nirmal Purja, 43, was among the victims along with six elite Nepali guides, killed in the avalanche in Gilgit-Baltistan on Thursday.

“Nepal has lost a generation of accomplished mountaineers,” said Tul Singh Gurung, president of Nepal National Mountain Guide Association.

The gathering observed a minute’s silence in their memory, in front of a banner with photographs of the 10 climbers. At the centre, candles were arranged in the shape of Nepal’s national flag, flickering in the dusk.

“This is a big loss for our mountaineering sector,” said Man Raj Gurung, an international mountain guide. “I think it might take years for us to see such climbers again, because not everyone will be willing to take on such a risky job.”

News of the avalanche has prompted tributes from across the climbing community and beyond.

In 2019, Purja stunned the climbing fraternity by scaling the world’s 14 highest peaks in just over six months, shattering the previous record of seven years.

His feat was later chronicled in a Netflix documentary, helping inspire a new generation of climbers and elevating Nepal’s profile in a sport long dominated by Western adventurers.

Two years later, he was part of the historic all-Nepali team that completed the first winter ascent of K2, the world’s second-highest mountain and one of mountaineering’s most dangerous challenges.

In his hometown in Ramnagar in southern Nepal, where his brother lives with his family, people have been coming to grieve and pay tribute around a framed photograph of Purja.

Meanwhile, funeral prayers in absentia for Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi were offered in his hometown of Aliabad in Hunza on Monday, where hundreds of people paid tribute to the young mountaineer and offered condolences to his family after they announced his death.

The body of Sohail Sakhi, who went missing along with nine other members of an expedition after an avalanche struck Broad Peak — the world’s 12th highest mountain in GB — has yet to be recovered despite an extensive search and rescue operation.

Since the avalanche struck on July 30, the remains of eight climbers have been recovered, while the bodies of two others, including Sohail Sakhi and a Nepali Sherpa, are still missing.

In a statement, Darwish Ali, the late climber’s uncle, said the family had made the painful decision “with profound sorrow after enduring days of hope, uncertainty and prayers”.

A large number of people visited Sakhi’s home to offer condolences, expressing grief over the loss of the young climber and praying for his departed soul.

Darwish Ali said Sohail’s mother had been admitted to a local hospital in Aliabad after suffering trauma and high blood pressure following the family’s announcement of his death.

The four bodies recovered on Sunday were identified as those of Nirmal Purja, China’s Wang Zhong, Nepal’s Nima Sherpa and Kili Pemba Sherpa. However, they could not be shifted to the base camp due to bad weather. The remains of Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy of Oman, Pur Bahadur Gurung and Gyalu Sherpa of Nepal, and Sarah Mallory Geis of the United States were recovered on July 31 and Aug 1 and airlifted to Skardu.

According to sources at the Broad Peak base camp, recovery efforts continued under extremely difficult terrain conditions on Monday. Heli­copter operations could not be carried out on Monday and Tuesday bec­ause of adverse weather. Sources said helicopter sling operations would be required to retrieve the bodies. Meanwhile, rescue teams continued searching for the bodies of Soh­ail Sakhi and the missing Nepali climber.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2026