Body of mountaineer Nirmal Purja recovered from devastating avalanche as update issued

The body of Nirmal Purja has been recovered after he was killed in an avalanche in Pakistan last week.

Purja, 43, had been part of a 10-person group that was swept away by an avalanche while climbing up Broad Peak, the 12th highest mountain in the world.

The avalanche struck on Thursday (30 July) leaving 10 people missing, and since then a number of bodies have been discovered, Purja's among them.

Sadly this had been the expected outcome as there have been a number of fatalities among those trying to climb Broad Peak over the years, and the Alpine Club of Pakistan had warned people that the chances of survival from the avalanche were 'very slim'.

GPS data from Purja's watch appears to have shown some of what happened to the group, showing that they'd just left their second camp on Thursday and pinged at a height of 20,231 feet at 5:33am local time.

Purja was one of 10 who were swept away by an avalanche last week (Instagram)

By 7am he was at 20,997ft, and two hours later he'd reached an altitude of 21,653ft.

Sadly, half an hour later his tracking watch and that of another member of his group then registered them at a height around 2,000ft below their last known location.

Tragically, Purja had said that it wasn't even the plan for them to climb Broad Peak, with him posting on social media: "This was never the plan. Initially, the plan was to climb just G2. But just before setting off for Pakistan, I ran the numbers on my 8000m summits.

"That’s when it hit me: if I tick off Broad Peak whilst I’m here , only one remains 'Cho Oyu'. Then I become the FIRST person in history to climb all 14 eight-thousanders twice. Without oxygen.

"This wasn’t planned. The Hattrick project was the focus because it carried a bigger mission. But opportunities don’t scream: they whisper to those already working in silence."

Several bodies from the climbing group have now been recovered, Purja's among them (Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

Purja's older brother Kamal said: "It is with the heaviest heart that I share the devastating news that my beloved younger brother, Nirmal 'Nimsdai' Purja, and the other climbers are no longer with us.

"Although our hearts are broken, we are incredibly proud of you. Your legacy will live forever."

Who was Nirmal 'Nims' Purja?

Purja was renowned for featuring in programs on Netflix, including the documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible.

Prior to featuring in the Netflix documentary, Purja served for 16 years in the British armed forces, 10 of which were in the UK's special forces.

A member of the Gurkhas, Purja - whose latest social media post was revealed - became the first Gurkha to make it through the selection service for the SBS, that's the Special Boat Service, the marine counterpart to the SAS.

He achieved world fame by climbing the 14 mountains around the world which are over 8,000 metres in just six months and six days, and it was this astonishing feat which was the subject of the Netflix documentary.

Purja's reputation placed him as one of the most respected and renowned high-altitude climbers in the world.

Before his death Purja had said the group hadn't even planned to go climbing Broad Peak (AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Getty Images)

Who else was a part of the missing expedition?

Five Nepali climbers were also in the expedition, named as Pur Bahadur Gurung 'Yukta', Kili Pemba Sherpa 'Kilu', Nima Sherpa, Nawang Thindu Sherpa and Gyalu Sherpa.

There was also climber Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy from Oman, Sohail Sakhi from Pakistan, Mallory Geis from the US, Wang Zhong from China, as well as another climber who has not been named.

Before the announcement that Purja's body had been recovered, authorities said that the bodies of Geis, Al Harthy and Gurung had also been found.

Additional words by Kit Roberts.