Netflix star, world-renowned Nirmal Purja among missing in Pakistan avalanche
Among 10 mountaineers caught in the deadly avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak on Friday is Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja — also known for his appearance on Netflix’s fourteen peaks.
Search teams in Pakistan found four bodies after an avalanche on one of the world’s highest mountains, with six people still missing from the expedition.
A spokesperson for police in the mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan region said search-and-rescue teams had reached the location the avalanche had struck on Thursday, cutting off contact with the international expedition that had been in the area.
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Four bodies have been recovered, the police spokesperson said in a statement on Facebook, later adding that the two of them, of a Nepali climber and an Omani, were being transported to Skardu city on board a military helicopter.
Nirmal Purja — better known as Nims Dai — rewrote mountaineering history in 2019 by summiting all 14 of the world’s peaks above 8,000 metres in barely six months, smashing a record that had previously taken climbers years to achieve. He went on to lead the first team ever to reach K2’s summit in winter, the second-tallest mountain on Earth, a feat widely regarded as one of the sport’s most prized milestones.
Seasoned mountaineer
Purja, 43, who served with Britain’s Brigade of Gurkhas before joining the Special Boat Squadron of the Royal Marines, has broken multiple climbing records since becoming a full-time mountaineer and tour guide.
He climbed all 14 “eight-thousanders” (peaks above 8,000 metres, or 26,000 feet) in six months and six days between April and October 2019 — then a record.
In 2021, Purja completed the first winter ascent of K2 along with a team of nine other Nepali climbers.
Purja had written on X this week that he was close to becoming the first person to climb all 14 “super peaks” twice without oxygen.
“Broad Peak, I ask for nothing but safe passage up and back down,” he wrote.
“I take zero mountains for granted. Not one. The moment my foot leaves basecamp, it’s 100%. Always has been. Always will be.
“My purpose has never been about me. It’s about what I represent. It’s about showing YOU that your own mountains — whatever they are — are climbable.”
Who was he?
Purja was born in a remote Nepalmi village called Dana, and soon joined the British military.
He was a part of the Special Boat Service in the military — an elite unit. His bravery was also rewarded by Queen Elizabeth II in 2018, earning him the Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
During his time in the military, he discovered his love for the mountains. He soon quit the service to follow his passion by beginning ‘Project Possible’.
Under the project, he intended to climb all 14 mountains higher than 8,000 meters in just seven months, but managed to do so in just six months and six days. This feat shot him to fame as he shattered the last record which was of more than seven years.
His expedition was documented by Netflix in the documentary ’14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible’ making him well-known outside the climbing community as well.
(With inputs from AFP)
