Four bodies located after 10 climbers go missing on Pakistani peak

Mountaineer Nirmal Purja among those reported missing after avalanche hit Broad Peak, Pakistan alpine club says.The bodies of four climbers have reportedly been located by Pakistani search crews after at least 10 mountaineers went missing in a suspected avalanche on Broad Peak a ⁠day earlier, officials said.Among those missing is Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja, also known as Nims Dai, who holds the record for the fastest ascent of the world’s 14 highest mountains, the Pakistan" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="175240" data-entity-type="organization">Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) said earlier.Efforts were underway to retrieve the bodies of the four climbers despite the harsh weather on Friday, the Associated Press and Reuters news agencies reported, citing Pakistani sources. The AP said authorities did not identify whose bodies were found.Sajid Hussain, the deputy director of the tourism department in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region, told Reuters the search for the remaining six was focusing on a “remote and difficult area”.Broad Peak is the 12th-highest mountain in the world.The 10 climbers, led by Purja, went missing after an avalanche in northern Pakistan where they were on a climbing expedition, the ACP said late on Thursday.“The Pakistan" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="175240" data-entity-type="organization">Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) has received deeply concerning reports of an avalanche that struck a team of climbers on Broad Peak (8,047m) in the Karakoram mountain range,” the club said in a statement.ACP said the expedition comprised 10 people – including five Nepalese, Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi from Hunza, Omani climber Nathira, American climber Mallory Geis, and a climber from China identified only as Wang. Police did not mention a US citizen but said two British nationals – a man and a woman – were in the missing team.