Details of the disaster
The avalanche that swept across the slopes of Pakistan’s Broad Peak on Thursday killed a total of ten climbers. The group, which had started its ascent earlier in the week, was caught in a sudden snow collapse at a high altitude camp. The Pakistani rescue service has verified that the bodies of three climbers—Oman’s Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy, Nepal’s Pur Bahadur Gurun and the United States’ Mallory Geis—were found in the aftermath.
Seven other members of the expedition are still unaccounted for. Searches have been underway for the remainder of the team, with teams working from the base camp up to the summit routes. In the early hours of the rescue operation, helicopters were called in to provide aerial support, while ground teams scoured the valley for any trace of the missing climbers.
Officials have urged the climbing community to reassess the safety measures for expeditions in the Karakoram range. In response to the tragedy, the International Mountaineering Federation has called for a “review of climbers’ preparedness, weather forecasting and emergency protocols.”
The latest updates on the search and rescue operation can be found on the BBC reporting team’s page and on the official website of the Pakistan Alpine Rescue Service.
