The body of mountaineer Sohail Sakhi, who went missing following an avalanche on Broad Peak in Gilgit-Baltistan last month, has been recovered by local porters. This development reduces the number of missing climbers from the tragic incident to just one.
Three porters from Shigar — Abuzar Ali, Muhammad Bashir, and Muhammad Nadeem — located and retrieved Sakhi’s body after several hours of searching through snow and debris without the aid of modern rescue equipment. They successfully moved the body from the avalanche site to a safer location.
Sohail Sakhi was among ten mountaineers who disappeared after the avalanche struck Broad Peak, the world’s 12th-highest mountain, on July 30. Located in the Karakoram range of Gilgit-Baltistan, the 8,051-metre peak is known as one of Pakistan’s most technically demanding mountains.
Following the avalanche, search and rescue operations were launched to find the missing climbers. Bodies of eight mountaineers were recovered over time, while Sakhi and one Nepali climber remained unaccounted for. The recent recovery of Sakhi’s body leaves only the Nepali climber missing, with search efforts ongoing.
In a significant development, the Alpine Club of Pakistan confirmed the recovery of Sakhi’s body via social media.
The disaster also claimed the life of renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal ‘Nimsdai’ Purja, aged 43, who was among those caught in the avalanche during the expedition. Purja was internationally acclaimed for his record-breaking ascent of all 14 peaks over 8,000 metres within six months in 2019, a feat documented in the Netflix film “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.” Prior to his mountaineering career, Purja served in the British military, including with the Gurkhas and special forces.
Elite Exped, the expedition organizer, expressed deep sorrow over the loss of Purja and other climbers in the tragedy.
Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah expressed shock at the deaths, emphasizing that while the climbers’ physical journeys had ended, their courage and dedication would continue to inspire many.
The avalanche struck Broad Peak around midday on July 30, sweeping away ten mountaineers. Among those missing were six Nepali nationals, with others from Pakistan, Oman, the United States, and China.
The recovery operation has faced extreme challenges due to the high-altitude terrain and hazardous conditions, making access to avalanche debris difficult. Several bodies of foreign climbers were transported from Skardu to Islamabad during the operation.
Notably, an Airblue flight (PA 703) carrying the remains of foreign mountaineers arrived at Islamabad International Airport on Friday. The bodies were then moved to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) mortuary.
Identified among the recovered foreign climbers were Nepali mountaineers Nima Sherpa, Nirmal Purja, Gelu (Gyallu) Sherpa, and Kili Pemba Sherpa, as well as Chinese climber Wang Zhong.
Efforts continue to focus on locating the last missing Nepali climber as the search operation proceeds.
