Body of Pakistani Guide Sohail Sakhi Recovered From Broad Peak Avalanche

The body of Pakistani mountain guide Sohail Sakhi has been recovered from Broad Peak in Pakistan’s Karakoram, leaving just one of the 10 climbers killed in the devastating avalanche still unrecovered.

The Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) confirmed Sakhi’s recovery on Thursday, August 13, after a team of local volunteers from Shigar searching the mountain on their own initiative discovered unidentified remains above Advanced Base Camp. The remains were subsequently confirmed to be those of Sakhi, who had been one of the two climbers still missing following the July 30 avalanche. The recovery was carried out by local volunteers from Tissar, Shigar, who found the body and carried it down from above Advanced Base Camp to Base Camp.

• Related: Broad Peak Avalanche Update: 8 Bodies Recovered and Identified

According to the ACP, three local volunteers, Muhammad Nadeem, Muhammad Bashir, and Abuzar, spotted the remains and alerted others in the area. Together with their leader and cook, Zaman, and several additional volunteers, they carried Sakhi’s body down the mountain. Sakhi’s body is expected to be transported from Base Camp by helicopter Thursday evening, weather permitting, The ACP praised the Shigar volunteers for undertaking the search without being asked and carrying the body to Base Camp despite the difficult mountain conditions. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, his friends, and the wider mountaineering community during this difficult time,” the ACP said. The organization also thanked the volunteers for their efforts, saying their actions had given Sakhi’s family “the chance to say goodbye.”

The recovery brings the number of identified climbers recovered from the Broad Peak avalanche to nine of 10. The only climber still unrecovered is Nepali mountain guide Nawang Thindu Sherpa. American climber Mallory Geis has been identified from partial remains recovered from the mountain, although her complete remains have not yet been recovered.

• Related: Nims Dai Purja Confirmed Dead Following Broad Peak Avalanche in Pakistan

Nawang Thindu Sherpa was a 28-year-old guide with Seven Summit Treks who was born in Sankhuwasabha, Nepal. Nawang had built an impressive high-altitude résumé since beginning his career with an ascent of Island Peak in 2019. He went on to summit Everest, Lhotse, Manaslu, Kangchenjunga and Makalu, while also guiding expeditions on Ama Dablam and other Himalayan peaks. His final major ascent came in spring 2026, when he reached the summit of Makalu (8,485m), just months before joining the Broad Peak expedition.

The avalanche struck between Camp 2 and Camp 3 on Broad Peak on July 30, killing all 10 members of the international expedition. The victims included legendary Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja “Nims Dai,” Chinese climber Wang Zhong, Nepali climbers Nima Sherpa and Kili Pemba Sherpa “Kilu,” Nepali guides Pur Bahadur Gurung “Yukta” and Gyalu Sherpa, American climber Mallory Geis, Omani climber Nadhira Al Harthy, and now-confirmed Pakistani guide Sohail Sakhi.

Broad Peak rises to 8,047 meters (26,401 feet) and is the world’s 12th-highest mountain. Recovery operations have been repeatedly hampered by poor weather, high altitude and dangerous terrain. The search now continues for Nawang Thindu Sherpa as well as the remains of Mallory Geis.