Renowned Mountaineer Nirmal Purja and Nine Others Killed in Broad Peak Avalanche
12 sources across 11 countries
Who reported this
- Der Spiegel
- Frankfurter Allgemeine
- La Nacion
- Folha de S.Paulo
- Le Monde
- The Indian Express
- ANSA
- Aftenposten
- Dawn
- Business Day
- The Independent
- Associated Press
What the colours mean
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- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
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The body of celebrated British-Nepalese mountaineer Nirmal Purja was recovered on Sunday from Broad Peak in northern Pakistan. Purja and nine other members of an international expedition died after an avalanche struck the group on Thursday. The Alpine Club of Pakistan reported that Purja's body was found at approximately 5,700 meters. Other recovered victims include climbers from Nepal, Oman, China, and the United States. Elite Exped, the company co-founded by Purja, confirmed on Saturday that no members of the ten person team survived the tragedy.
Purja, 43, was a record breaking climber who gained international fame for scaling all 14 of the world's peaks above 8,000 meters in 189 days in 2019. This achievement was the subject of the Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible. Before his climbing career, Purja served for 16 years in the British military, including time with the Brigade of Gurkhas and the Special Boat Service of the Royal Marines. He was awarded an MBE in 2018 for his contributions to high altitude mountaineering.
Reports indicate that Purja had not originally planned to climb Broad Peak this season, but decided to do so to attempt becoming the first person to climb all 14 eight thousand meter peaks twice without supplemental oxygen. In a final social media post, he wrote that he asked the mountain for safe passage and stated that he never took any mountain for granted.
The death of the climber prompted tributes from global figures. Prince William described Purja as one of the world's greatest mountaineers and noted his humility and selflessness. While most coverage focused on his achievements and the tragedy, some reports highlighted a more complex legacy. Center right coverage mentioned controversies regarding his claims of past rescues and allegations of inappropriate behavior toward women, which Purja's legal representation had previously denied.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- Emphasized the emotional impact on the climbing community and Purja's military background.
- Centre
- Focused on the factual recovery of the body and the professional milestones of Purja's career.
- Centre-right
- Balanced the reporting of his achievements with mentions of personal controversies and disputes over his records.
Sources
- Centre ANSA: Body of mountaineering legend Nirmal Purja found on Broad Peak
- Centre-right Aftenposten: Kristin Harila: Everyone thought he was immortal. Therefore this is completely unreal.
- Centre Associated Press: All 10 climbers swept away in avalanche in Pakistan are confirmed dead - apnews.com
- Centre-right Business Day: Celebrated Nepali climber Nirmal Purja among 10 dead in avalanche in Pakistan
- Centre-left Dawn: Bodies of Nepalese climber Nirmal Purja, 3 other mountaineers recovered on Broad Peak: Alpine Club
- Centre-left Der Spiegel: Nirmal Purja: Body of extreme mountaineer recovered at Broad Peak
- Centre Folha de S.Paulo: Rescue teams find body of mountaineer Nirmal Purja
- Centre-right Frankfurter Allgemeine: On the death of Nirmal Purja: A contentious border crosser
- Centre-right La Nacion: The harrowing last message of Nirmal Purja before his death: "I ask you for nothing more than to allow me to go and return safely"
- Centre-left Le Monde: The body of Nirmal Purja, British-Nepalese mountaineer dead in an avalanche, has been found
- Centre-left The Independent: Prince William ‘truly saddened’ by death of ex-British Army soldier Nirmal Purja
- Centre The Indian Express: Mountaineer Nirmal Purja dies in Broad Peak avalanche: What he wrote before his last climb
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.