GILGIT: The body of US climber Sarah Mallory Geis, who was among 10 members of an international expedition killed in an avalanche on Broad Peak on July 30, was recovered on Friday, officials said.
The avalanche struck the slopes of Broad Peak, one of the world’s highest mountains, cutting off contact with the expedition team led by renowned British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja. Purja’s company subsequently confirmed that none of the 10 climbers had survived.
The bodies of eight expedition members, including Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi, were recovered during subsequent search operations. However, Geis and Nepalese climber Nawang Thindu Sherpa remained missing.
Earlier, officials had reported that a body part believed to belong to Geis had been located. Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) President retired Major General Irfan Arshad Khan said in a statement on Friday that Geis’s body was located on the slopes of Broad Peak by local rescue volunteers.
He said efforts were under way to move the body to the mountain’s base camp. ACP General Secretary Ayaz Shigri told Dawn that local porters accompanying a trekking team had voluntarily joined the search operation and helped locate the missing climber.
“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. Mr Shigri added that the search for Nawang Thindu Sherpa would continue.
Team dispatched to Spantik
Meanwhile, a team of local climbers has been sent to Spantik to retrieve the body of Pakistani mountaineer Dr Asma Mushtaq, who died after suffering a medical emergency while descending the peak.
The ACP said on Thursday that Dr Mushtaq developed a serious high-altitude medical emergency at an elevation of around 6,400 metres (21,000 feet) during her descent.
High-altitude sickness refers to a range of conditions caused by a lack of oxygen at high elevations, particularly when a person ascends rapidly without adequate acclimatisation.
Mr Shigri said on Friday that Dr Mushtaq’s family had arrived in Skardu and that arrangements would be made to bring her body down from the base camp and subsequently transport it from the region.
READ ALSO: Mountaineer Nirmal Purja, Nine Others Die in Broad Peak Avalanche in Pakistan
Originally from Lahore, Dr Mushtaq was a UK-based doctor specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology. She was also an avid traveller, vlogger and mountaineer who regularly documented her expeditions on social media.
She had completed a winter ascent of the 4,076-metre Musa ka Musallah peak and had taken part in expeditions to Rupal and Arandu. She was also associated with Karakoram Calling Treks. In a 2024 social media post seeking sponsorship for a K2 expedition, she described herself as “a doctor and mountaineer”.
