Nirmal Purja: Who is famed mountaineer reported dead on Broad Peak?

British-Nepali climber Nirmal Purja, who died in the Broad Peak avalanche, was one of the most recognised figures in mountaineering today. He held multiple records, but his most famous feat was in 2019, when he climbed the world's 14 tallest peaks in just over six months - setting a record at the time for the fastest anyone had scaled all 14 mountains. Purja, also known as Nims Dai, was among 10 climbers who went missing after an avalanche on Thursday on Broad Peak, an 8,047m (26,400ft) mountain in Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan. Later his company Elite Expeditions said he was one of 10 people killed in the avalanche. His body was found about 5,700m up the mountain. The 43-year-old was born in a small village in Nepal's mountainous Myagdi district, located around 1,600m above sea level. He came from a family of Gurkhas, a world-famous group of Nepalese soldiers who have served in different armed forces, including the British Army. Following in the footsteps of his father and elder brothers, he joined the Gurkhas in 2003 at age 18 and joined the UK Special Forces in 2009. During his 16 years in the British military, he developed an interest in mountaineering. In 2012, he wal