Nepal is in mourning. Nirmal Purja, the Nepali mountaineer known to millions as Nims Dai or Nimsdai, has died in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan's Karakoram range. He was 43. Nine other climbers in his team were also killed.
For many people in Nepal's mountaineering community, including several of our own guides, Nims was more than a famous name. He made the world look at Nepali climbers differently, and for that he will be remembered for a very long time.
In short: an avalanche struck Purja's team on Broad Peak (8,051 m) on the evening of Thursday 30 July 2026, between Camp II and Camp III at around 6,600 m. Ten climbers were killed: five Nepali climbers, including Purja, and climbers from Oman, the United States, Pakistan and China. His expedition company, Elite Exped, confirmed his death. Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah said the deaths had "shocked us".
What happened
Purja was leading a team of ten climbers on Broad Peak, the world's twelfth-highest mountain, in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of northern Pakistan. On the evening of 30 July, an avalanche hit the group on the slopes between Camp II and Camp III. The team included five Nepali climbers, among them Purja and members of his Sherpa team, as well as climbers from Oman and the United States, the Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi and a Chinese climber.
Search teams using helicopters and drones flew from Skardu, but the steep, remote terrain and poor weather made recovery very difficult. By the following days several bodies had been recovered, including those of Nepali climber Pur Bahadur Gurung and Omani climber Nadhira Al Harthy, and drone footage located others. Elite Exped then confirmed that Purja "tragically lost his life following the avalanche on Broad Peak".
Who was Nims Dai?
Born in Myagdi district in western Nepal, Purja joined the British Army's Brigade of Gurkhas and later became the first Gurkha to serve in the Special Boat Service, the Royal Navy's special forces. He only started climbing in his late twenties, after a trek to Everest Base Camp in 2012.
In 2019 he set out on what he called Project Possible: to climb all fourteen of the world's 8,000 m peaks in a single season. He did it in 189 days, shattering the previous record of nearly eight years. The story was told in the Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible. In January 2021 he was part of the all-Nepali team that made the first winter ascent of K2, standing on the summit together, singing the Nepali national anthem.
He was not without critics. Some climbers questioned his heavy use of supplementary oxygen and helicopters, and his commercial expeditions sometimes drew controversy. But few disputed his skill, his toughness or the way he put Nepali and Sherpa climbers at the centre of the story, rather than in the background.
Reaction in Nepal
Tributes have poured in from across Nepal. Prime Minister Balendra Shah praised the climbers' "courage, dedication, and contributions". In Kathmandu, climbers, guides and porters, many of whom had worked with Nims or been inspired by him, gathered to remember him and his teammates. Our thoughts are with the families of all ten climbers, and with the rescue teams in Pakistan.
A reminder of the risks
Broad Peak is known for avalanche risk on its lower slopes, and the Karakoram summer season is often unsettled. Even the most experienced climbers in the world are not safe from objective dangers like these. If you are thinking about a first Himalayan peak, our guides to trekking peaks in Nepal and Island Peak explain how to choose a safe first summit and a responsible operator.