Nirmal Purja, the Nepali-born mountaineer who scaled all 14 of the world's highest peaks in just over six months, was killed in an avalanche in Pakistan on or before August 1, 2026. His company confirmed his death, and fellow members of his climbing team also died in the disaster.
The group had been attempting to ascend one of the tallest peaks on earth when the avalanche struck. Ten climbers were reported missing on July 30, 2026, according to BBC News. The team was multinational: five of the missing were Nepali, and one each came from the United States, China, and Oman.
Purja completed his record-setting feat of summiting all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters in 2019.