Prince William has issued a statement following the death of a former British Army Soldier. The future king shared a message on X, formerly Twitter, stating that he was “saddened” to hear the news of Nirmal Purja’s passing.
The post on X reads: “I was truly saddened to hear of the tragic death of Nirmal Purja and those who lost their lives in the avalanche on Broad Peak. Nims served with distinction in the British Armed Forces before becoming one of the world’s greatest mountaineers, putting Nepalese climbers on the map.
“His relentless pursuit of what seemed impossible, combined with his humility and selflessness, made him truly unique.
“My thoughts are with his family and the families of all those who died. W”
Mr Purja, known for climbing the world’s 14 highest peaks in just over six months in 2019, was confirmed to have died in Thursday’s avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan.
The 43-year-old served in the British military for 16 years, 10 of which were spent in the special forces. He was also awarded an MBE by the late Queen Elizabeth in 2018 for his achievements in extreme high-altitude mountaineering.
UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting also paid his condolences to the British-Nepali mountaineer on social media.
He said in a post on X: “Incredibly sad to learn of the passing of Nirmal (Nims) Purja and those he was climbing with.
“He was an inspirational man who served in our Armed Forces for many years – and whose incredible mountaineering adventures are known the world over.”
Purja’s death was confirmed by Pakistani officials who said the bodies of three climbers from his expedition – American Mallory Geis, Nadhira Ahmed Abdullah Al Harthy from Oman and Pur Bahadur Gurung from Nepal – had been recovered.
The deaths of “six Nepalese and four other foreign climbers”, including the former soldier, were also confirmed by Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah, who honoured the victims for their “courage, dedication, and contributions [that] will always remain inspiring”.