KATHMANDU: At least three bodies recovered from 5,700m on Broad Peak yesterday are now stuck at the height of 5,000m on the world’s 12th-highest mountain in Pakistan. Search and recovery teams said the bodies could only be brought down to a flat area through long-line helicopter mobilization.

The bodies of famed climber Nirmal Purja ‘Nimsdai,’ Chinese climber Wang Zhong, and Nima Sherpa are stuck on a difficult slope at around 5,000m. A search and recovery team recovered four bodies from 5,700m on the mountain yesterday.

According to team members, they attempted to rappel all four bodies down to the flat area on the Concordia side of the mountain yesterday, but only the body of Kili Pemba Sherpa ‘Kilu’ was successfully abseiled to the area.

“The bodies of the three climbers recovered from the avalanche site are now at 5,000m and can only be pulled using long-line helicopter services,” rescuers told The Tourism Times.

“So far, the bodies of two climbers – Kili Pemba and Gyalu Sherpa – have been brought to the flat area,” they added.

Lawmaker and co-owner of Elite Exped, Mingma David Sherpa, who is now in Pakistan to coordinate the search and recovery mission, is consulting with the Islamabad military and government regarding a long-line helicopter recovery operation.

“An army helicopter will soon fly from Skardu to Broad Peak to airlift the bodies of Kili Pemba and Gyalu,” officials said, adding that the army captain will also assess ground conditions to determine whether a long-line recovery mission can be carried out to retrieve the bodies of Nimsdai, Wang, and Nima from the difficult and risky slope of Broad Peak.

Yesterday, a search and recovery team led by renowned Nepali climber Mingma G recovered four bodies from around 5,700m on Broad Peak, including that of Nirmal Purja ‘Nimsdai.’

At least 10 climbers (Nepali and Pakistani) reached Broad Peak base camp for the recovery mission yesterday morning. Among them, eight members reached Camp I. Later, five members, including Mingma G, reached the avalanche site, where four bodies had been spotted during a drone inspection.

Another body – that of Nawang Thindhu Sherpa – was not brought down, as it was located in a dangerous position above 6,000m. The body of Gyalu Sherpa had already been recovered earlier, as the team found him at around 5,000m.

Earlier, the bodies of Omani climber Nadhira Al Harthy and Pur Bahadur Gurung (Yukta), as well as the mortal remains (a human leg) of American climber Mallory Geis, were airlifted to Skardu on Friday. Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi, who also perished in Thursday’s avalanche, is still missing.

A massive avalanche killed 10 climbers just below Camp III on Thursday morning as they attempted a summit push on the world’s 12th-highest mountain. This is one of the worst mountaineering disasters in the Karakoram region.

(This is a developing story, and The Tourism Times will provide instant updates as they unfold.)