Broad Peak recovery enters fourth day as rescuers race to retrieve remaining bodies
Nine victims have already been located, but dangerous terrain and logistical challenges are slowing efforts to recover the remaining bodies.
Recovery operations on Pakistan's Broad Peak resumed on Monday for a fourth consecutive day, with rescuers bringing four bodies down to Camp I and locating another on a steep, inaccessible ridge after last week's avalanche killed 10 climbers.
Ground rescue teams had reached the recovery site and were working alongside helicopter crews in an effort to evacuate the remaining victims, the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) said.
"We are also trying to carry out a long-line operation today. If that is not possible, we will have to bring the bodies down to base camp," ACP president Irfan Arshad Khan told Everest Chronicle.
Nepali high-altitude climbers also headed towards Camp I on Monday to assist with evacuating the recovered bodies.
On Sunday, rescuers recovered the body of renowned Nepali-British mountaineer Nirmal Purja, widely known as Nimsdai, five days after a massive avalanche swept away a 10-member international team on Broad Peak.
The bodies of Nepali climbers Kili Pemba Sherpa and Nima Sherpa, along with Chinese climber Wang Zhong, were also recovered on Sunday.
Gyalu Sherpa's body had been recovered a day earlier.
According to the ACP, the body located on the difficult ridge is believed to be that of Nepali climber Nawang Thindu Sherpa, while Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi remains missing.
Khan said helicopters had also been deployed to support the recovery operation, although long-line evacuations required military clearance, making the process more complicated.
Ground rescuers first reached the avalanche debris on Friday and recovered three bodies near Camp I. The victims had been swept more than 1,200 metres down the mountain by the avalanche.
The accident was only reported to base camp around 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, delaying the start of rescue efforts until Friday.
So far, four bodies have been evacuated by helicopter to Skardu, while four others have been brought down to Camp I. Another identified body remains stranded on the exposed ridge awaiting retrieval.
Nepali rescuers have been advocating for helicopter long-line recovery, arguing it is the safest and most efficient method of removing the remaining bodies from the hazardous terrain.
