Key facts
- Remains of American climber Mallory Geis were found on Friday.
- Geis was part of an international mountaineering team that went missing on Broad Peak.
- An avalanche struck the team weeks ago.
- Three bodies, including Geis, were recovered by rescuers.
- Broad Peak is the world's 12th-highest mountain, located in Pakistan's Karakoram range.
Search teams on Friday found the remains of American climber Mallory Geis, the last missing member of a 10-member international mountaineering team that was killed in an avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak weeks ago. Geis's remains were recovered by a team of local volunteers, according to Irfan Arshad Khan, president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan. The expedition was Geis’ first attempt to climb an 8,000-meter peak.
The recovery concluded a search that began on July 31 after the expedition, led by Nirmal Purja, was swept away by an avalanche. Purja, a former British Army soldier, is known for climbing the world’s 14 highest peaks in a record 189 days in 2019.
Rescuers had previously found four bodies and recovered three of them, including Geis, Nepalese climber Pur Bahadur Gurung, and Omani climber Nathira Ahmed. Harsh weather conditions hampered the rescue efforts, delaying flights by search and rescue helicopters. The climbers lost contact with their base camp after the avalanche struck while they were attempting to scale the mountain.
Broad Peak, at 8,047 meters (26,401 feet), is the world’s 12th-highest mountain and is located in Pakistan’s Karakoram range. Accidents are common on climbing expeditions in northern Pakistan due to avalanches, falling ice and rock, high altitude, and rapidly changing weather.