Avalanche in Pakistan kills famed mountaineer Nirmal Purja and his fellow climbers

FILE - Nirmal Purja, one of the team members of the all-Nepalese mountaineering team that became the first to scale Mount K2 in winter, gestures as the team arrives at Tribhuwan International airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Jan. 26, 2021. Niranjan Shrestha/AP hide caption toggle caption Niranjan Shrestha/AP The celebrated climber Nirmal Purja and the nine other members of a mountaineering expedition group have died after they were caught in an avalanche on one of the highest peaks on earth. "It is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Mirmal 'Nimsdai' Purja tragically lost his life following the avalanche on Broad Peak," Purja's company Elite Expeditions said in a statement. Broad Peak is a 26,414 foot mountain in Northern Pakistan. "We have also received confirmation that other members of the expedition sadly did not survive," the company said. Purja, who was 43 years old and a British-Nepali climber, became world-renowned by breaking climbing records. In 2019, he was the first person to climb all 14 mountains world-wide with elevations above 8,000 meters (26,247 feet) in 6 months and 6 days. The feat was the subject of a Netflix feature documentary in 202...