Body of US climber who died in Broad Peak avalanche found

AI Summary

The body of US climber Sarah Mallory Geis, who died in an avalanche on Broad Peak, was recovered by local rescue volunteers. The search continues for missing members of the expedition while efforts are underway to retrieve other bodies at high-altitude peaks, underscoring the dangers of mountaineering.

GILGIT: The body of US climber Sarah Mallory Geis, who was part of a 10-member expedition team that died in an avalanche on Broad Peak on July 30, was recovered on Friday. The avalanche struck on July 30, cutting off contact with the 10-member international expedition led by world-renowned British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja on Broad Peak, one of the world’s highest mountains. Purja’s company later confirmed there were no survivors. The bodies of eight members of the expedition, including Pakistan’s Sohail Sakhi, were found in subsequent missions, but those of Geis and Nepal’s Nawang Thindu Sherpa had remained missing. Officials had earlier said that a leg believed to be Geis had been found. On Friday, Alpine Club of Pakistan President (retired) Major General Irfan Arshad Khan said in a statement that the US climber’s body was found on the slopes of Broad Peak by local rescue volunteers. He said that the body was in the process of being shifted to base camp. ACP General Secretary Ayaz Shigri told Dawn that local porters, who were with a trekking team, had voluntarily assisted in the search for the body. “The body has been identified as Geis. It will be shifted to base camp and then airlifted to Skardu by Pakistan Army helicopters,” he said. He said the search for the remaining missing Nepali climber would continue. Team sent to Spantik Separately, a team of local climbers was dispatched to Spantik to retrieve the body of Pakistani climber Dr Asma Mushtaq, who died after suffering a medical emergency while descending the peak. The ACP said on Thursday she developed a serious high-altitude medical emergency at an elevation of about 6,400 metres (21,000 feet) during the descent. High-altitude sickness encompasses a range of pulmonary and cerebral conditions caused by hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation, due to rapid ascent and inadequate acclimatisation to high altitudes. Shigri said on Friday that Mushtaq’s family had arrived in Skardu. He said arrangements would be made to airlift the body from base camp. Mushtaq originally hailed from Lahore and worked as a UK-based doctor specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology. Apart from her medical profession, she was a passionate traveller, vlogger and mountaineer who actively documented her expeditions on social media. She completed a successful winter ascent of the 4,076-metre Musa ka Musallah peak and was associated with expeditions to Rupal and Arandu. She was also a member of Karakoram Calling Treks. In a 2024 post seeking K2 sponsorship, she described herself as “a doctor and mountaineer”.