Avalanche in Pakistan kills famed mountaineer Nirmal Purja and his fellow climbers

Asia Avalanche in Pakistan kills famed mountaineer Nirmal Purja and his fellow climbers August 1, 20266:23 PM ET Chris Arnold FILE - Nirmal Purja, one of the team members of the all-Nepalese mountaineering team that became the first to scale Mount K2 in winter, gestures as the team arrives at Tribhuwan International airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Jan. 26, 2021. Niranjan Shrestha/AP hide caption toggle caption Niranjan Shrestha/AP The celebrated climber Nirmal Purja and the nine other members of a mountaineering expedition group have died after they were caught in an avalanche on one of the highest peaks on earth. "It is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Mirmal 'Nimsdai' Purja tragically lost his life following the avalanche on Broad Peak," Purja's company Elite Expeditions said in a statement. Broad Peak is a 26,414 foot mountain in Northern Pakistan. Far-Flung Postcards Greetings from an isolated region in northern Pakistan's Hindu Kush mountains "We have also received confirmation that other members of the expedition sadly did not survive," the company said. Purja, who was 43 years old and a British-Nepali climber, became world-renowned by breaking climbing records. In 2019, he was the first person to climb all 14 mountains world-wide with elevations above 8,000 meters (26,247 feet) in 6 months and 6 days. The feat was the subject of a Netflix feature documentary in 2021. Purja also served for a decade in the UK's Special Boat Service, an elite special forces unit of the British military similar to the US Navy SEALs. Sponsor Message International team killed, including an American The expedition included climbers from Oman, Nepal, Pakistan, China and the United States, according to Alpine Club of Pakistan. The American mountaineer was 39-year old Mallory Geis of San Antonio, Texas, according to the Associated Press. In a social media post earlier this year she wrote about her decision to close her Pilates studio to pursue high altitud...