ISLAMABAD \u2013 Rescuers searching for 10 climbers missing after an avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak found four bodies and recovered three of them Friday and were continuing to search for the other missing climbers despite adverse weather that hampered helicopter flights, officials said.<\/p>\n
A statement from the regional Gilgt-Baltistan government identified the three recovered bodies as Nepalese climber Pur Bahadur Gurung, Omani climber Nathira Ahmed and American climber Mallory Geis. It said the bodies had been transported to a hospital.<\/p>\n
The announcement came hours after officials said search teams had located the remains of four climbers despite harsh weather. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. They did not immediately identify the fourth body that had been spotted.<\/p>\n
Bad weather continued to hamper the rescue effort Friday, according to a statement from the Gilgit-Baltistan region’s Chief Minister Amjad Hussain. <\/p>\n
The climbers lost contact with their base camp after an avalanche struck Broad Peak while they were attempting to scale the mountain, said Karrar Haidri, vice president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan. \u201cThe team has been out of communication since Thursday,\u201d said Haidri, adding that army helicopters were part of the search-and-rescue operation.<\/p>\n
Authorities said the search for the missing climbers continued until Friday evening and would resume Saturday.<\/p>\n
According to the Alpine Club, the expedition comprised five Nepali climbers in addition to the Omani and American climbers, as well as Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi, a Chinese climber identified only as Wang, and one other foreign climber.<\/p>\n
On Friday, China\u2019s government said it was trying to verify whether any of its nationals were among the 10 climbers missing. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe will provide assistance to Chinese citizens in need and are also willing to offer help in accordance with the needs of the Pakistani side,\u201d Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Friday in Beijing.<\/p>\n
The expedition leader was the renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja<\/a>, a Nepal-born former soldier in the British army widely known as Nims Dai. He climbed the world\u2019s 14 highest peaks in a record 189 days in 2019, an achievement featured in the Netflix documentary, \u201c14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible.\u201d His record was surpassed<\/a> in 2023.<\/p>\n Moving Mountains, a travel company based in Pakistan, announced late last month that the expedition team was on its way to the small town of Askole and wished them a safe journey climbing Broad Peak. The company said this was Geis\u2019 first try at an 8,000-meter peak in Pakistan, while it was expected to be Sakhi\u2019s final one.<\/p>\n Sakhi is a guide for the company, as well as a geographer and high-altitude photographer, and has climbed some of the world\u2019s major peaks, according to Moving Mountains\u2019 website.<\/p>\n Geis, 39, lives in San Antonio. She announced on social media earlier this year that she was closing her Pilates studio to take \u201ca giant leap of faith into the unknown to see where life goes. I have a sneaking suspicion there will be lots of helmets, harnesses, and crampons involved.\u201d<\/p>\n