Body of Pakistani climber recovered from Broad Peak after deadly avalanche

The body of a Pakistani climber who was among the 10 mountaineers killed in an avalanche on Broad Peak has been recovered, nearly two weeks after the disaster. Officials confirmed on Thursday that a team of local volunteers found the remains of Sohail Sakhi, who had been missing since the July 30 incident.

Sakhi was part of a 10-member international expedition led by renowned climber Nirmal Purja when the group lost contact with base camp. Authorities later confirmed that all 10 climbers had perished in what is being described as one of Pakistan's deadliest mountaineering accidents in recent years.

With the recovery of Sakhi's body, search teams have now found eight of the ten victims. The Alpine Club of Pakistan said that other rescuers joined the initial volunteers to help carry the body down to base camp. From there, it was expected to be airlifted by helicopter to a regional air base, weather permitting.

The recovery came just two days after a candlelight vigil was held in Islamabad, where mountaineers, diplomats, and civil society members gathered to honor the fallen climbers. The expedition included climbers from Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, China, Britain, and the United States.

Broad Peak, standing at 8,051 meters (26,414 feet) in the Karakoram range, is the world's 12th-highest mountain and sits near K2, the second-highest peak on Earth. Mountaineering accidents are a recurring hazard in northern Pakistan, a region that hosts some of the world's most formidable peaks.