Nirmal Purja, star climber & elite British officer, dead on PoK peak
9 Others Perished In Karakoram Avalanche -- 6 Nepalese, One Each From US, China, Pakistan & Oman
Nirmal Purja, a renowned Nepali-born British mountaineer and elite officer, tragically passed away on July 30 during an expedition to Broad Peak in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Purja, 43, had just recently achieved the feat of scaling Gasherbrum II without supplemental oxygen, becoming the first person to do so. On the day of his death, Purja had already accomplished 57 ascents of 8,000-meter peaks, a remarkable achievement.
He was en route to make his 29th attempt without supplemental oxygen when the avalanche struck the 8,047-meter peak. Among the victims were six Nepalese climbers and three from other nations – Pakistan, Oman, the United States, and China. Purja's ambition was to be the first mountaineer to climb all 14 eight-thousanders twice without oxygen, a record he had nearly achieved.
Tributes poured in from around the world, including a statement from Queen Elizabeth II recognizing Purja's MBE for his services to high-altitude mountaineering.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
