Mingma G Recovers 5 Broad Peak Bodies After 10-Climber Avalanche

Q: Will the remaining three climbers ever be brought home, or will Broad Peak become their permanent icy grave?

It is possible, but far from certain, that the remaining three climbers will be brought home. The clearest fact is that recovery teams have not given up. The Alpine Club of Pakistan says it remains committed to future efforts when conditions improve, and that matters because recoveries on Broad Peak often depend less on intention than on weather, snow stability, and access. The mountain is steep, remote and avalanche-prone, and this latest operation was already described as exceptionally difficult even for elite Pakistani and Nepali climbers. The chances differ for each of the three. If a body’s location is known and it lies in terrain that becomes temporarily safer later in the season, recovery is still realistic. But reports indicate that at least one set of remains is in a very precarious higher position, while another climber, Sohail Sakhi, is still missing. That sharply lowers the odds. Helicopter long-line recovery has been discussed, but such missions are technically limited in Pakistan and may be ruled out on safety grounds. So the most honest answer is that Broad Peak may not be their permanent grave, but it could be. In high-altitude disasters, many bodies are eventually recovered only after weather windows open, while others remain on the mountain for years or forever. For now, any return home for the remaining three depends on safer conditions, precise location, and whether rescuers can attempt another mission without unacceptable risk.

Q: What triggered the catastrophic avalanche that claimed a legendary mountaineer, and why are three bodies still trapped?

The avalanche appears to have been triggered by unstable, heavily loaded snow on Broad Peak’s west-facing slope during a summit push between Camp 2 and Camp 3, at around 6,600 meters. Climbers and reports from the mountain said fresh snowfall, wind loading and an overhanging, avalanche-prone face had left the route dangerous. GPS tracker data showed the group ascending normally until about 9 a.m., when they suddenly plunged hundreds of meters, indicating the slope released beneath or above them. Three bodies are still trapped because the recovery zone is exceptionally dangerous and difficult to access. Pakistani and Nepali rescuers have said the terrain around 5,000 to 6,000 meters is steep, unstable and still threatened by further avalanches. In some cases, bodies lie in precarious or higher positions that ground teams cannot safely reach, while bad weather and the limits of helicopter and long-line recovery have also slowed or prevented retrieval. The Alpine Club of Pakistan said the bodies of Sohail Sakhi, Mallory Weis/Geis and Nawang Sherpa were not recovered and will remain on the mountain for now. Search teams have said they intend to try again when conditions improve, but for now the continuing avalanche risk, altitude, weather and remoteness make immediate recovery too dangerous.

3 articles · Updated · Outside · Aug 7

Five bodies were brought to Broad Peak Base Camp on Aug. 5 after Mingma G stayed behind with a four-man skeleton crew and completed a final 12-hour recovery push.
The operation followed a July 30 avalanche that killed 10 climbers after heavy snowfall and narrow weather windows pushed four teams onto Broad Peak’s exposed route.
Nine rescuers had first located a cluster of five bodies around 19,350 feet, but another avalanche on Aug. 2 swept debris down the face and forced two Sherpas to abandon a separate attempt to reach Nawang Thindu.
The recovered dead included Nirmal Purja, Nima Sherpa, Wang Zhong, Kilu Sherpa and Gyalu Sherpa; their remains were evacuated by helicopter to Skardu.
With the 2026 Karakoram season ending and terrain still unstable, the bodies of Sohail Sakhi and Nawang Thindu—and any remaining remains of Sarah Mallory Geis—are likely to stay on the mountain.