11 mins ago11:33 Lauran O'Toole

The Italian PM has called for Spain to be suspended from the European Union's border-free Schengen travel zone.

This comes Italy’s deputy prime minister, Antonio Tajani, posted the following on C last night: “The images coming from Ceuta show how the Madrid Government's decision to grant Spanish, and therefore European, citizenship to over 500,000 irregular immigrants is profoundly wrong and encourages human trafficking.”

Tajani added that he supports “closing the Schengen Area to Spain.”

Reacting to accusation, Albares said the message is “unbecoming.”

“Today's events are related to a court ruling, having nothing to do with what the tweet says,” the minister added.

21 mins ago11:23 Lauran O'Toole

Among the climbers missing American climber and wellness entrepreneur Mallory Geis.

In preparation for climbing the world's 12th highest mountain, yesterday Mallory posted on her nstagram in mid-June that she had new boots ready for what she called "her first big kid climbing expedition in Pakistan".

She is also tagged in a post by the travel company Moving Mountains, which states that Mallory will be climbing alongside Sohail Saki.

According to the post, this will be Sohail's final 8,000-meter peak in Pakistan and Mallory's first attempt at an 8,000-meter summit.

Mallory Geis is among the climbers missing (Image: Moving Mountains/ Instagram)

52 mins ago10:52 Lauran O'Toole

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1 hour ago10:40 Lauran O'Toole

Senior Pakistani government officials said four bodies were located on Friday and rescuers are continuing to search for the other six, according to the Associated Press (AP).

The officials did not give details about the identities of those found.

1 hour ago10:20 Lauran O'Toole

Gilgit-Baltistan police say four bodies have been recovered from Broad Peak, though the identities of the deceased have not yet been confirmed.

In a statement posted on Facebook, police said preliminary reports indicate that authorities are continuing efforts to gather information about the remaining climbers.

2 hours ago10:05 Lauran O'Toole

2 hours ago09:57 Lauran O'Toole

China's Foreign Ministry said it is urgently verifying the situation at Broad Peak after an avalanche on Thursday left 10 climbers missing, including one Chinese national.

The ministry added that it is prepared to provide assistance in line with Pakistan's needs.

2 hours ago09:24 Lauran O'Toole

The identities of the four bodies have yet to be released.

Earlier today Irfan Arshad, the head of Alpine Club of Pakistan, said ground rescue teams have found four bodies.

“Four bodies have been found by the ground rescue team so far,” Arshad wrote on Instagram.

3 hours ago09:07 Lauran O'Toole

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says they are "closely monitoring the situation following the news of avalanche on Mt. Broad Peak".

Their Embassy in Islamabad is coordinating with all relevant authorities of Pakistan including the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) to facilitate the swift and safe rescue of all affected mountaineers.

They have been informed by the Pakistani authorities that the search and rescue operations are underway.

3 hours ago08:43 Lauran O'Toole

According to the climbers’ GPS data, the avalanche occurred sometime between 8.57 am and 9.30sm at an elevation of approximately 6,579 meters (21,580 feet), between Camp II and Camp III on the standard West Ridge route.

When the avalanche struck, American climber Mallory Geis’s GPS tracker recorded a sudden descent of 543 meters (1,784 feet), while Omani climber Nadhira Al Harthy’s tracker showed a far greater drop of 1,651 meters (5,417 feet).

4 hours ago07:45 Lauran O'Toole

Despite multiple reports of bodies having been found Nepal’s Tourism Department has now confirmed any deaths.

The department named the six Nepalis from the expedition as "missing".

Department spokesperson Himal Gautam told the BBC: "There is a significant presence of Nepali Sherpas and expedition companies who are coordinating among themselves."

Gautam called "this is an unprecedented incident".

He added. "However, there are still some tiny hopes, with some conflicting information."

4 hours ago07:22 Lauran O'Toole

5 hours ago07:10 Lauran O'Toole

Shortly after the significant avalanche hit a group of 10 climbers on Pakistan’s Broad Peak, the the Alpine Club of Pakistan announced information regarding the 10 missing climbers.

One is Nirmal "Nims" Purja MBE, four other Nepali guides, a Chinese climber, an Omani climber, one Pakistani guide leading an American climber, and one additional, non-Pakistani climber whose name and nationality has not been released.

Nepal’s Ambassador to Pakistan Rita Dhital has announced that the search and rescue operation for the 10 climbers who went missing after Thursday's Broad Peak avalanche has now been intensified.

Dhital confirmed that the Pakistani government is mobilising all available resources to assist with search and rescue operations in in the Karakoram ranges.

She added that and the Nepali Embassy is also in continuous coordination with the relevant Pakistani authorities at this time.

Speaking to the Kantipur Daily, she advised that helicopters, rescue teams, necessary equipment, and ground rescue teams had now been deployed from Skardu.

“Currently, helicopters, rescue teams, and necessary equipment have been deployed from Skardu. A ground team has also been dispatched. The search is ongoing by helicopter, and the site is also being monitored by drone,” she said.

As to the identities of the bodies recovered from the avalanche site, Dhital said: “We have received information that some bodies have been seen. But there is no official confirmation yet."

- ICYMI: A 10-person international climbing team led by renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal "Nims" Purja went missing following a midday avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak.

- Casualties and ongoing search: Two unidentified bodies have been recovered from the site so far, while land search teams continue racing to locate the remaining eight missing climbers.

- Cross-border rescue mobilisation: Nepal's Mountaineering Association and the Alpine Club of Pakistan are coordinating joint efforts, deploying Sherpas and climbers from nearby K2 and K3 to assist in ground operations.

- Signs of hope: Data shows Purja's tracking beacon shifted position following the slide, and unconfirmed reports suggest rescue helicopters may have spotted some of the missing climbers.

- Search obstacles: Bad weather initially grounded rescue helicopters, while experts note that Pakistan's military-managed procedures make rapid aerial deployments more complex than in Nepal.

Nepal's Mountaineering Association (NMA) is coordinating with the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) to bolster rescue efforts as search teams continue in a race against time to find the remaining eight missing climbers.

NMA general secretary Rajendra Bahadur Lama told the BBC: "Some of our Sherpa friends based in K2 are going there for rescue efforts," he said.

Lama added that there had been reports that some of the missing mountaineers had been spotted from rescue helicopters, though this is not yet confirmed.

Climbers on other nearby mountains in the region have been deployed to assist in the search and rescue efforts on Broad Peak, according Mingma Gyabu Sherpa.

Sherpa is a member of Nepal's House of Representatives and an associate of Nirmal Purja.

Members of Imagine Nepal, a commercial mountaineering operator, are also helping out, Sherpa has confirmed.

The Alpine Club of Pakistan has confirmed the names of all 10 people on the lost expedition on Broad Peak.

Those rescuers are searching for include:

- Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy (Oman)

- Sohail Sakhi (Pakistan)

- Wang Zhong (China)

- Mallory Geis (US)

- Nirmal "Nims Dai" Purja (Nepal)

- Pur Bahadur Gurung "Yukta" (Nepal)

- Kili Pemba Sherpa "Kilu" (Nepal)

- Nima Sherpa (Nepal)

- Nawang Thindu Sherpa (Nepal)

- Gyalu Sherpa (Nepal)

Guragain has claimed that Pakistan's approach to mountain rescues are not as straightforward as they are in Nepal.

According to Guragain, rescue operations there are mainly conducted by the army, and therefore the process tends to be complicated.

He said: "Immediate helicopter rescue, as in Nepal, is not possible in Pakistan. The army conducts the rescues there. Helicopters are limited, and many procedures must be completed. Effective rescue is not possible until the weather cooperates.

He added that, at current, the rescue effort on Broad Peak is currently focused on aerial searches.

"Until the helicopter can track from above, the situation cannot be clarified further," he said, adding that hope is waning for the missing climbers.

"There is very little room left for hope now. The chances are becoming extremely slim," he added.

A tracking device carried by Nims Purja has moved since the avalanche struck.

Speaking to the Kantipur Daily on Friday morning, fellow mountaineer and member of Nepal's House of Representatives Mingma Gyabu Sherpa, who is also Purja's business partner, confirmed that data from Purja's tracking device indicated his location had changed after the snowslide.

"Initially, it appeared that he had been swept downhill by the avalanche," Sherpa said. "But after the point where the tracking had stopped, the location appears to have shifted again."

Sherpa added that the tracking data alone could not confirm Purja's condition, but it does provide a glimmer of hope that survivors remain on the mountain.

Rescue operations have been already hampered by poor weather and the chances of finding survivors are said to be extremely low, according to Seven Summit Treks general manager Thaneshwar Guragain.

He added that bad weather had grounded rescue helicopters, forcing search parties to mount an initial ground search instead.

According to Guragain, some climbers had been swept down by the avalanche and were brought back to base camp overland. It was during the land search and rescue operation that the two bodies were found.

As per Alpine Club of Pakistan senior vice-president Karrar Haidri, a rescue chopper is set to fly off from the city of Skardu, located in the Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region, once conditions improve.

Two bodies have found this morning at the avalanche site as authorities in Pakistan rush to find the 10 missing climbers who have not been heard from since the snowslide struck at around noon on Thursday (July 30).

Speaking to the Kantipur Daily, Seven Summit Treks general manager Thaneshwar Guragain has confirmed two bodies have so far been recovered in the rescue effort.

"It has been confirmed that two bodies have been found," he said, adding: "Currently, work is underway to identify whose body it is," he said."

It would seem Nims Purja hadn’t initially planned to climb Broad Peak before he decided to take on a 10-person expedition up the world’s 12th tallest mountain.

He took to X - formerly Twitter - to share his thoughts mere days before vanishing atop the Karakoram mountain range in Pakistan, with communications cut off between Purja, his fellow climbers, and base camp in the wake of an avalanche on Thursday (July 30).

The famed climber wrote: “This was never the plan. Initially, the plan was to climb just G2. But just before setting off for Pakistan, I ran the numbers on my 8000m summits. That’s when it hit me: if I tick off Broad Peak whilst I’m here only one remains: [the world's 6th tallest peak, which borders China and Nepal] Cho Oyu. Then I become the FIRST person in history to climb all 14 eight-thousanders twice. Without oxygen.”

He went on to add: “Broad Peak, I ask for nothing but safe passage up and back down. I take zero mountains for granted. Not one. The moment my foot leaves basecamp, it’s 100%. Always has been. Always will be.”

In 2019, Nirmal Purja (Nimsdai) completed his famous "Project Possible", scaling all 14 of the world's independent peaks over 8,000 meters in an astonishing six months and six days (189 days), shattering the previous record of nearly eight years.

Project Possible timeline:

- Start Date: April 23, 2019, with the summit of Annapurna.

- Phase 1 (The First Six Peaks in Nepal & China): Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Kangchenjunga, Mount Everest, Lhotse, and Makalu—completed between April 23 and May 24, 2019.

- The 48-Hour Record: Summitted Mount Everest, Lhotse, and Makalu consecutively within a historic 48-hour window.

- Phase 2 (The Pakistan Peaks): Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, K2, and Broad Peak—completed in July and August 2019.

- Completion Date: October 29, 2019, atop Shisha Pangma in Tibet, China.

Purja receives a hero's welcome upon arrival back home after his 2019 feat (Image: Getty)

2019 celebrations cont'd (Image: Getty)

Purja and his company Elite Exped were leading the 10-person expedition when the avalanche struck.

According to the Everest Chronicle, the avalanche comes days after Purja completed his 57th successful ascent of a 8,000-metre peak. He completed an oxygenless ascent of Gasherbrum II on July 21. He was also nearing completion of his Hat Trick Campaign to climb all 14 of the 8,000-meter peaks three times over.

Purja rose to fame after the 2021 Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible, chronicling his successful attempt to break the previous speed record for climbing the world’s 14 peaks above 8,000 metres.

But his career has not all been a success - with controversy coming in the form of allegations of sexual assault during expeditions, as reported by The New York Times.

President of the Alpine Club of Pakistan Major General Irfan Arshad said in a statement that the mountaineering club "is in constant contact with the highest government authorities and all relevant agencies to facilitate an immediate search and rescue operation."

The statement added: "Every possible effort is being made to ensure that helicopter support and all available rescue resources are mobilized at the earliest opportunity, subject to weather and operational conditions."

The 10 missing mountaineers include:

Five Nepali climbers led by Nirmal Purja, better known as Nimsdai.

Nimsdai is a Nepalese-born former British special forces soldier who acheived global recognition after climbing all 14 of the world's "eight-thousanders" - all the world's mountains marked 8,000-metres tall or higher - in just over six months in 2019.

As per the Everest Chronicle, , officials said also on the now-missing expedition are Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi, Omani mountaineer Nathira, American climber Mallory Geis, a Chinese climber identified as Wang, and another foreign climber.

As per the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the avalanche hit around midday on Thursday, severing contact with the expedition.

Speaking to the Everest Chronicle, Alpine Club of Pakistan senior vice-president Karrar Haidri said: "The entire team has reportedly been out of communication since the avalanche."

A search operation is now under way after an avalanche struck Pakistan's Broad Peak.

A 10-person international climbing team - led by renowned mountaineer Nimsdai Purja MBE - have been declared missing as a result, Pakistani mountaineering officials have said.