Gilgit – (Staff Reporter/Web Desk) – Broad Peak bodies Skardu arrived on Thursday, marking another heartbreaking chapter in one of Pakistan’s worst mountaineering disasters in years. Five more climbers who lost their lives on the mountain were finally brought down to the city, where officials and mourners gathered to pay their last respects.
The reception was quiet but deeply moving. Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly Speaker Imran Nadeem stood among civil and military officials, along with members of the Alpine Club of Pakistan. Local leaders also joined the gathering. Together, they honoured the climbers who had given everything to reach heights few people ever attempt.
After the short ceremony ended, the bodies were moved to the Combined Military Hospital in Skardu. There, staff began the necessary legal steps before the climbers could be sent home to their families.
Each coffin carried more than a body. It carried a flag — the flag of the country each climber called home. Officials made sure every nation was represented with respect before the formal farewell began.
Now, preparations are underway to send these five climbers back to their own countries, where families have been waiting anxiously for news, and now, for closure.
A tragedy that shocked the climbing world
This disaster gained global attention partly because of one name: Nirmal Purja. Known widely as “Nimsdai,” Purja was a record-breaking Nepali climber famous for completing all fourteen of the world’s highest peaks faster than anyone before him. His story inspired thousands, and his death came as a shock to climbers and fans everywhere.
Purja was leading a ten-member international team on Broad Peak when disaster struck on July 30. An avalanche tore through the group without warning, cutting off all contact. What followed was days of anxious waiting, as rescue teams battled harsh weather and difficult terrain to reach the missing climbers.
The Alpine Club of Pakistan later confirmed a painful update. After an extremely difficult recovery mission, the bodies of Purja, Chinese climber Zhong Wang, and two Nepali climbers, Nima Sherpa and Kilu Sherpa, were finally brought down to Base Camp.
A day earlier, a dedicated search team had worked tirelessly to bring Purja and three of his teammates safely to Base Camp, a task made harder by the mountain’s unpredictable conditions.
With Thursday’s arrivals, the total number of bodies transported to Skardu has now reached eight. It is a small but meaningful step for the families still waiting.
Sadly, two climbers remain missing. Among them is Pakistan’s own Sohail Sakhi, whose family and colleagues continue to hope for his safe recovery.
A community united in mourning
What stood out most on Thursday wasn’t just the ceremony itself, but the way an entire community came together. Soldiers, officials, climbers, and ordinary citizens all paused to honour people they may never have met. In moments like these, differences of nationality fade away, replaced by simple human compassion.
As recovery efforts continue on Broad Peak, the world watches and waits, hoping the final two climbers can also be brought home soon, so their families can finally begin to heal.
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