Pakistan Army helicopter brings bodies of Nirmal Purja and four other climbers to Skardu after Broad Peak avalanche.

A Pakistan Army helicopter carried the bodies of five international climbers—British‑Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja, Wang Zhong, Nima Sherpa, Gyalu Sherpa and Kili Pemba “Kilu” Sherpa—to Skardu on Thursday, following a technically demanding recovery operation on Broad Peak. The bodies were taken to the Combined Military Hospital in Skardu, with a later transfer to Islamabad after required formalities are completed, according to the Alpine Club of Pakistan. The helicopter operation came after an avalanche struck Broad Peak on July 30, killing all 10 members of an expedition that was climbing from Camp 2 to Camp 3. The team was led by 43‑year‑old Nirmal Purja. Two climbers remain missing: Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi and American climber Mallory Geis. The body of Nawang Thindu Sherpa has not yet been recovered. The latest recovery brings the total number of bodies retrieved from the site to eight. Rescue teams comprising the Pakistan Army, local rescuers and other authorities continue to search under difficult weather conditions. The Alpine Club of Pakistan called the operation one of the most technically demanding recovery efforts on Broad Peak. The president of Nepal’s National Mountain Guide Association said the climbing world had lost a generation of accomplished mountaineers in the tragedy.