KATHMANDU: At least 10 climbers, including record-holding Nirmal Purja ‘Nimsdai,’ have gone missing on Broad Peak after a massive avalanche struck the climbing route on the 8,047-metre mountain, expedition officials said.

According to Chhang Dawa Sherpa, Expedition Director at Seven Summit Treks, at least 10 climbers, including five Nepalis, have been missing since Thursday.

Officials of Pakistan's Alpine Club said that three climbers from SST, three from Elite Exped, two from Imagine Nepal Treks, and two Pakistani guides were missing in the incident.

Helicopters were being mobilized for search-and-rescue operations. “Three Nepali climbers—including Nimsdai of Elite Exped—along with an Omani climber and two Sherpas from SST, a Chinese climber and a Sherpa from Imagine Nepal, and a Pakistani guide with his American client have all remained out of contact since the avalanche hit the route,” Chhang Dawa quoted officials as saying.

The avalanche struck the team when they were heading from Camp 2 to Camp 3 for a summit push, said officials.

The avalanche hit the mountain on Thursday, and the 10 climbers have remained out of contact since then, confirmed Karrar Haidri, senior vice-president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Mingma Gyabu Sherpa, co owner of Elite Exped said Nims Purja’s GPS tracker still appears to be showing movement.

According to him, the tracker's recorded location has continued to change after the avalanche, though Purja remains missing.

Alpine Club says rescue efforts under way

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) said it had received "deeply concerning reports" of the avalanche, which struck the climbing team around midday on Broad Peak (8,047m) in the Karakoram range.

According to the ACP, the 10-member expedition comprises five Nepali climbers led by renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja, a Pakistani climber, Sohail Sakhi of Hunza, an Omani climber, an American climber, a Chinese climber identified as Wang, and another foreign climber. The club said the entire team had remained out of communication since the avalanche.

ACP President Major General Irfan Arshad and the club's senior leadership are in constant contact with the Pakistani government and relevant authorities to coordinate an immediate search-and-rescue operation. The club said every effort was being made to mobilise helicopters and all available rescue resources at the earliest opportunity, subject to weather and operational conditions.

"The Alpine Club of Pakistan is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with all concerned stakeholders," the statement said, adding that the organisation was praying for the safety and successful rescue of all climbers and stood in solidarity with their families and the international mountaineering community.

Earlier on July 22 he had summitted Gasherbrum II in Pakistan, completing his 57 summits of the mountains above 8,000 meters.

With G-II summit, Purja had completed his 57th successful ascent of an 8,000-meter peak, including 29 summits without supplemental oxygen.With only Cho Oyu remaining, Nimsdai is on the verge of completing his remarkable Hat-Trick Project: climbing all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks three times and completing the Seven Summits three times, according toMingma Gyabu Sherpa, co-owner of Elite Exped.