July 31 (UPI) — Rescue crews searching for 10 missing mountaineers following an avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak mountain found four bodies, officials said Friday.
The expedition was led by renowned mountaineer Nirmal Pruja and included American climber and wellness entrepreneur Mallory Geis.
Maj. Gen. Irfan Arshad Khan, president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, said in a statement posted on Instagram on Friday that the bodies had been located.
“Search-and-rescue operations remain ongoing, and we urge the public to await verified updates before drawing conclusions,” the club said in a separate statement.
“The Alpine Club of Pakistan extends its continued thoughts to the climbers and their families during this difficult time.”
The club did not say whether the bodies had been recovered.
The avalanche occurred midday Thursday on Broad Peak, which at 26,401 feet is of the world’s 12th-highest mountain, in Pakistan’s Karakoram mountain range.
The Alpine Club of Pakistan said in a statement that one of its expeditions had gone missing. It was last in communication with the group before the avalanche occurred, it said.
The 10 expeditions members were identified as Purja, Geis, Sohail Sakhi of Pakistan, Wang Zhong of China, Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy of Oman and Nepalese mountaineers Pur Bahadur Gurung, Kili Pemba Sherpa, Nima Sherpa, Nawang Thindu Sherpa and Gyalu Sherpa.