A ten-member international mountaineering team, led by Nepal-born former Royal Marine Nirmal Purja, is feared missing following an avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak. Pakistani mountaineering officials reported the avalanche struck around midday on Thursday on the 8,047-metre peak in the Karakoram range.
There has been no communication with the team since the incident. The group is said to include an American, a Chinese national, an Omani, and five Nepalis. Purja is known for climbing all 14 of the world's 8,000-metre plus mountains in just over six months in 2019.
Searchers are hoping to deploy a helicopter to aid in the search, provided weather conditions allow.