Eight climbers found dead after Broad Peak avalanche

SKARDU: Rescue teams have recovered the bodies of eight climbers who went missing after an avalanche struck Broad Peak, the world’s 12th-highest mountain in Pakistan’s Karakoram range, while the search continued Saturday for two others still unaccounted for.

Authorities said four more bodies were located during the latest phase of the rescue operation, bringing the total number of recovered climbers to eight.

Three of the bodies recovered earlier were transported by helicopter to Skardu, while efforts to retrieve the remaining victims continued in the difficult high-altitude terrain.

Gilgit-Baltistan Tourism Minister Neiknam Karim said authorities were making every possible effort to locate the two missing climbers, adding that the provincial tourism department was providing logistical support to search and rescue teams.

The international expedition included climbers from the United States, China, Nepal and Oman, as well as Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi. Several members of the team were reported missing after the avalanche struck Broad Peak earlier this week.

Broad Peak, which rises 8,047 meters (26,401 feet) above sea level in the Karakoram mountain range, is one of Pakistan’s five peaks exceeding 8,000 meters and is regarded as one of the world’s most challenging high-altitude climbing destinations.