SKARDU: Rescuers have found the body of renowned climber Nirmal Purja, who was killed along with nine team members in a powerful avalanche in northern Pakistan this week, the Alpine Club of Pakistan said on Sunday.
"The ground rescue team has reached Nims Dai (Purja) at approximately 5,700m on Broad Peak - a mountain he loved, and a mountain that has now taken him from us," the club posted on social media, with its general secretary later confirming to AFP Purja's body and those of three others had been recovered.
Purja, 43, served with Britain's Brigade of Gurkhas and then the Special Boat Squadron of the Royal Marines before becoming a full-time mountaineer and guide.
He famously completed the summit of the 14 highest peaks in the world in just over six months in 2019, shattering the previous record of seven years.
"It is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Nirmal Purja tragically lost his life following the avalanche on Broad Peak," Purja's company Elite Expeditions said in a social media post.
"We have also received confirmation that other members of the expedition sadly did not survive."
The determined climber had the 14 mountains tattooed across his back, complete with swirling clouds and Tibetan prayer flags.
His efforts were chronicled in a 2021 Netflix documentary, inspiring a new wave of climbers.
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