KATHMANDU, Aug 1 : Veteran Nepalese mountaineer Nirmal Purja died in an avalanche on Broad Peak, located in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's Gilgit Baltistan, local media reported on Saturday.
Purja, who was 43 years old, was part of a group of 10 climbers. Three bodies, including a Nepalese mountaineer, have already been identified, and six other bodies have been located at the mountain, said a Nepal Mountaineering Association official.
Purja's death was confirmed in a statement by Elite Expedition on its social media account on Saturday, Kathmandu Post newspaper reported.
Broad Peak (8,051 metres), located in the Karakoram range near K2, is the world's 12th-highest mountain and is considered one of the most challenging peaks to climb.
The avalanche struck the mountain at an altitude of around 7,000 metres on Thursday, sweeping away the 10-member climbing team that had begun its summit push, according to the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP).
The climbers -- six from Nepal, one Pakistani, one Omani, one American and one Chinese -- went missing at around 9 am on Thursday following the avalanche. (PTI)
