KATHMANDU: The Expedition Operators' Association Nepal (EOAN) has formally urged the Nepal government to initiate urgent diplomatic engagement with Pakistani authorities to support search-and-rescue operations for climbers missing after Thursday's avalanche on Broad Peak, including record-holding mountaineer Nirmal Purja "Nimsdai."

In a press release issued today, EOAN said it was deeply concerned and anguished by news that Purja — one of Nepal's most globally recognised mountaineers — along with other Nepali climbers and several international climbers had lost contact following the avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan. The association expressed profound sorrow over the incident and wished for the safe rescue and return of all missing climbers.

Noting that Nepal's mountaineering sector enjoys global prestige and that incidents involving Nepali climbers demand timely, active and effective intervention from the state, EOAN said it was making an earnest appeal to the relevant government bodies to act without delay.

Specific requests to government bodies

In the release, EOAN made the following specific requests:

• It urged the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers to treat the matter as a high priority and ensure the necessary coordination across relevant agencies.
• It asked the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation to make an official assessment of the situation public and coordinate with concerned bodies.
• It requested the Department of Tourism to compile all available information related to the expedition and provide any facilitation needed.
• It called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to immediately initiate diplomatic engagement with the Government of Pakistan and relevant agencies, formally mobilising all possible resources, means and equipment available for the search-and-rescue effort.

EOAN also appealed to the Government of Pakistan and Pakistan's own mountaineering-related organisations to act with urgency in the search-and-rescue operation, and offered its own cooperation should any assistance be required from the association's side.

The association stressed that the matter extends beyond Nepali climbers alone, describing it as a humanitarian issue connected to the international mountaineering community as a whole, and said a coordinated, swift and effective response from all concerned parties was essential.

Avalanche strikes Broad Peak summit push

The appeal follows Thursday's avalanche on the 8,047-meter Broad Peak in Pakistan's Karakoram range, which left at least 10 climbers unaccounted for, including five Nepalis. According to Chhang Dawa Sherpa, Expedition Director at Seven Summit Treks, the missing climbers include an Omani climber with two Sherpas from Seven Summit Treks, a Russian-American woman with Purja and a Sherpa from Elite Exped, a Chinese climber with a Sherpa from Imagine Nepal Treks, and two Pakistani guides.

Officials from the Alpine Club of Pakistan said three climbers each from Seven Summit Treks and Elite Exped, two from Imagine Nepal Treks, and two Pakistani guides were among those missing. The avalanche struck as the team was moving from Camp 2 to Camp 3 for a summit push, officials said. Karrar Haidri, senior vice-president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, confirmed the climbers have remained out of contact since the avalanche hit around midday Thursday.

The Alpine Club of Pakistan said its president, Major General Irfan Arshad, and senior leadership remained in constant contact with Pakistani authorities to coordinate an immediate search-and-rescue effort, with helicopters and available resources being mobilised subject to weather and operational conditions.

Mingma Gyabu Sherpa, co-owner of Elite Exped, said Purja's GPS tracker continued to show movement after the avalanche, with the recorded location changing even as he remains missing.

The incident comes just over a week after Purja summited Gasherbrum II on July 22, completing his 57th ascent of an 8,000-meter peak — including 29 without supplemental oxygen. According to Mingma Gyabu Sherpa, with only Cho Oyu remaining, Purja had been on the verge of completing his "Hat-Trick Project": climbing all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter peaks three times over, alongside three completions of the Seven Summits.