KATHMANDU: Lawmaker and veteran mountaineer Mingma David Sherpa is returning to Nepal on Thursday with the body of climber Pur Bahadur "Yukta" Gurung, saying he is coming home "with an extremely heavy and broken heart" following the deadly Broad Peak avalanche in Pakistan.

In a social media post on Wednesday, Sherpa said he had made "every possible effort" to save Gurung after the July 30 avalanche but acknowledged that the rescue was unsuccessful.

"We made every possible effort to save you until the very end. But with profound sadness, we have to accept that we could not save you," he wrote, describing Gurung as a climber whose dreams, courage and legacy would continue to inspire future generations.

Sherpa said he was returning to Nepal carrying not only memories of their shared expeditions but also the responsibility of bringing Gurung home with dignity.

According to the post, Sherpa is scheduled to arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport at 4:45 pm on Thursday aboard Qatar Airways flight QR646, accompanied by Gurung's body. He said arrangements had been made in coordination with the Government of Nepal, the Department of Tourism and the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA).

Sherpa also thanked the government, the Department of Tourism, the NMA, the mountaineering community, Gurung's family and friends, and supporters around the world for their prayers and solidarity during the difficult period.

Gurung, 37, was among the climbers killed when a massive avalanche struck an international expedition on Pakistan's 8,047-metre Broad Peak on July 30.

Widely known in Nepal's mountaineering community as "Yukta," Gurung rose from working as a porter and trekking cook to become one of Nepal's accomplished high-altitude guides. During his career, he summited Mount Everest seven times, climbed K2 twice—including one ascent completed in 24 hours—and reached the summits of 11 of the world's 14 mountains above 8,000 metres.

His body was airlifted to Skardu on July 31 along with the body of Omani climber Nadhira Al Harthy.