Islamabad mourns 10 climbers lost in Broad Peak avalanche

Mountaineers, diplomats, and civil society members gathered in Islamabad on Tuesday evening for a candlelight vigil honoring the 10 climbers who died in an avalanche on Broad Peak last month.

Despite rain falling throughout the event, mourners lit candles and offered prayers on the lawns of a sports complex, shielding the flames from the downpour as they remembered those who did not return from the mountain.

The vigil came days after search teams concluded a recovery operation that brought down the remains of eight climbers. Two bodies remain unrecovered on the mountain.

Among those killed was renowned British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja. Nepal lost six climbers in the July 30 disaster, which struck an international expedition comprising climbers from Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, China, Britain, and the United States.

Nepal's ambassador to Pakistan, Rita Dhital, attended the vigil and paid tribute to the fallen climbers. She recalled meeting Purja at her residence before the expedition, remembering how he often told her, "Giving up is not in my blood."

Dhital thanked Pakistani climbers and rescuers who ventured onto the mountain in hazardous weather to search for the missing and recover their bodies. She specifically praised renowned Pakistani mountaineer Sirbaz Khan, who led the recovery team, along with the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the military, and government officials involved in the operation. All six Nepalese climbers' bodies have been returned to their families, she said.

Sirbaz Khan described the mission, saying he and his team had hoped to find the climbers alive. "I had hoped that I would hug them after finding them alive," he said. Instead, they found the climbers buried beneath the avalanche. The team used shovels to dig through the snow and pull out the bodies one by one.

Seeing fellow mountaineers dead on the mountain was difficult, Khan said, but the rescuers composed themselves and began the equally challenging task of bringing the bodies down using ropes and makeshift stretchers. He said he remained deeply saddened by the deaths but found some solace in knowing that families who had waited desperately for news were able to receive the remains of their loved ones.

Irfan Arshad Khan, president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan, said the remains of seven climbers, including all six from Nepal, had been repatriated. He noted that bad weather repeatedly prevented helicopters from reaching the accident site, forcing rescuers to continue much of the search and recovery operation on foot. Eight bodies were eventually brought to a location from where they could be airlifted.

"We have gathered here today to commemorate the passing of our great comrades," Irfan Khan told those attending the vigil. He said the days following the avalanche tested not only the endurance of those searching the mountain but also the courage of rescuers who continued on foot when helicopters could not reach them.

Broad Peak, which rises 8,051 meters (26,414 feet) above sea level in the Karakoram range, is the world's 12th-highest mountain and lies near K2, the world's second-highest peak. Mountaineering accidents are common in northern Pakistan, home to some of the world's highest mountains.