Who is Nirmal Purja, the famed mountaineer missing in Broad Peak avalanche?
Renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja is among ten climbers missing following an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan. Search operations are currently underway for the record-breaking climber and his team.
Why it matters
The disappearance of a high-profile figure in the mountaineering community has drawn significant international attention to the dangers of high-altitude climbing.
Image source, AFP via Getty Images Image caption, Nirmal Purja is best known for scaling the world's 14 tallest peaks in just over six months
One of the most recognised figures in mountaineering today, British-Nepali climber Nirmal Purja holds multiple records.
But his most famous feat was in 2019, when he climbed the world's 14 tallest peaks in just over six months - setting a record at the time for the fastest anyone had scaled all 14 mountains.
Purja, also known as Nims Dai, is among 10 climbers who went missing after an avalanche on Thursday on Broad Peak, a 8,047m (26,400ft) mountain in Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan. Search operations are under way.
The 43-year-old was born in a small village in Nepal's mountainous Myagdi district, located around 1,600m above sea level.
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