ISLAMABAD (AP) — Search teams backed by military helicopters recovered the bodies of renowned British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja and three other missing climbers on Wednesday, bringing the number of bodies recovered from Broad Peak to seven nearly a week after an avalanche swept away a 10-member international expedition, officials said Wednesday.
The Alpine Club of Pakistan said the operation was one of the most technically demanding recovery missions ever carried out on the mountain. It said the bodies of Purja, Chinese climber Zhong Wang and Nepali climbers Nima Sherpa and Kilu Sherpa were brought to Broad Peak base Camp.
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Monks chant religious mantras before lighting candles in memory of the climbers who died Thursday in an avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak, Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
A woman lights candle in memory of the climbers who died Thursday in an avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak, Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Family members, friends and supporters light candles in memory of the climbers who died Thursday in an avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak, Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
In this photo released by the Alpine Club of Pakistan on Friday, July 31, 2026, members of a mountaineers rescue team prepare to depart from an airbase on a search operation for climbers missing after an avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak, in Skardu, in Gilgit-Baltistan's region, in northern Pakistan. (Alpine Club of Pakistan via AP)
FILE - Nepalese mountaineer Nirmal Purja, who became the fastest climber of the world's 14 highest peaks, arrives at the airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Oct. 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha, File)
Search teams brought down three other bodies on Aug. 1.
The bodies will be transported to a military hospital in Skardu when weather conditions permit, local officials said.
In Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, family members, friends and supporters of the climbers gathered Tuesday evening for a candlelight vigil. Buddhist monks chanted prayers as mourners observed a moment of silence before lighting candles in memory of those killed in the avalanche.
The climbers, who came from Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, China, Britain and the United States, were swept away by an avalanche last Thursday in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, in what the Alpine Club has described as one of the country’s deadliest mountaineering disasters.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar expressed condolences to the families of those killed, saying he was deeply saddened by the tragedy and Pakistan remained committed to the ongoing operation in coordination with the embassies of Nepal, Oman, Britain and the United States.
Mountaineering accidents are common in northern Pakistan because of avalanches, falling ice and rock, extreme altitude and rapidly changing weather. A Chinese climber died last year after being struck by falling rocks while descending K2, the world’s second-highest mountain.
Bodies of foreign climbers who die attempting to summit mountains in Pakistan are typically recovered only at the request of their families and governments. If families decline recovery efforts, the remains are usually left where the climbers died.
In a statement, the Alpine Club thanked the Pakistani and Nepali recovery teams, including Pakistani mountaineers Sirbaz Khan, Abid Beg and Sherzad, and Nepali climbers Dipen Gurung and Pemba Chhewang Sherpa.
Khan reported from Peshawar, Pakistan. AP writer Niranjan Shrestha in Kathmandu contributed to this report.
Monks chant religious mantras before lighting candles in memory of the climbers who died Thursday in an avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak, Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
A woman lights candle in memory of the climbers who died Thursday in an avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak, Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Family members, friends and supporters light candles in memory of the climbers who died Thursday in an avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak, Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
In this photo released by the Alpine Club of Pakistan on Friday, July 31, 2026, members of a mountaineers rescue team prepare to depart from an airbase on a search operation for climbers missing after an avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak, in Skardu, in Gilgit-Baltistan's region, in northern Pakistan. (Alpine Club of Pakistan via AP)
FILE - Nepalese mountaineer Nirmal Purja, who became the fastest climber of the world's 14 highest peaks, arrives at the airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Oct. 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha, File)
The Associated Press has yet to call a winner in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary. The race between progressive Abdul El-Sayed and moderate U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens has been a proxy battle for the party’s direction. Tuesday’s elections also included a Democratic primary victory by Missouri Rep. Wesley Bell in his rematch against Rep. Cori Bush, who was targeted by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee after denouncing Israel’s military action in Gaza.
President Donald Trump swings through Las Vegas for a speech on the economy after his Republican National Committee fundraiser at his Southern California golf course, where authorities arrested a man they said was claiming to be part of the security detail.
The House Ethics Committee has opened an investigation into domestic abuse allegations against Republican Rep. Max Miller as the embattled Ohio congressman faces escalating pressure to resign from his former father-in-law, Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno, and Trump. Democrats are eyeing the chance to flip Miller’s congressional seat.
Here is the latest:
Rep. Haley Stevens called Abdul El-Sayed to concede in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Michigan on Wednesday morning, according to El-Sayed’s campaign.
A representative for Stevens’ campaign did not return a request for comment. The Associated Press has not yet called the race.
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The draft agreed to by Iranian and Omani negotiators awaits final approval from Iran’s supreme leader, two regional officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The officials, who were briefed on the negotiations, portrayed the potential deal as a temporary solution to the U.S.-Iranian dispute over shipping through the waterway. They said it is tied to the agreement reached between the U.S. and Iran in June that aimed to end the fighting and reopen the strait, which ultimately collapsed.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter, said the potential deal will pave the way for the U.S. and Iran to resume negotiations to reach a final deal on Tehran’s nuclear program.
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By Elena Becatoros, Samy Magdy and Darlene Superville
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has expanded its list of targets to 58 House seats it believes are competitive, including districts Trump won easily less than two years ago.
The ambitious list reflects Trump’s diminished standing with the electorate and Democrats’ belief they can capitalize on voters’ frustrations over the economy, the war in Iran and the chaotic nature of Republican control during Trump’s second term.
“MAGA Republicans who historically have considered themselves ‘safe’ have let down the people they were elected to represent, passing disastrous policies that are crushing working families and our communities,” DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene said in a statement.
Democrats need just a handful of seats to erase Republicans’ narrow majority and control the chamber.
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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche may have cleared committee but the outcome of a full Senate vote on his nomination for the permanent role is an open question. Republicans Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska are question marks and Maine’s Susan Collins has said no, citing the politicization of the Justice Department.
The Judiciary Committee moved Trump’s former personal attorney along on a 12-10 party line vote after the DOJ confirmed in writing that it wasn’t moving forward with a $1.8 billion fund to compensate Trump allies who believe they were politically persecuted. That order left in place Blanche’s tax immunity deal worth millions for Trump and his family.
If all Democrats oppose him and Sen. Mitch McConnell isn’t able to vote, Blanche can afford to lose just two Republican supporters.
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Authorities have released more details about the arrest of a man who was allegedly scoping out security details ahead of President Donald Trump’s Republican National Committee fundraiser at Trump's Los Angeles-area golf course.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said 38-year-old Jeanine John Taele was seen taking photos and video and had a 16-round magazine with ammunition in his pocket when he was arrested Sunday. Federal prosecutors say he told federal agents he was employed by the State Department and was there for a security detail. A search of his pickup truck turned up a loaded 9mm pistol, binoculars and a badge that read “security protection agent."
Authorities say a search of his home found a rifle and other firearms, magazines and ammunition, body armor and notebooks with “concerning statements."
Taele was jailed on $250,000 bond after pleading not guilty to felonies including second-degree robbery, receiving a large-capacity magazine and possession of a short-barreled rifle or shotgun. It wasn’t clear if he had a lawyer and family members could not immediately be reached for comment.
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Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., a candidate in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Michigan, speaks during a primary election night event Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive candidate in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Michigan, speaks during a primary election night event Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, at the Majestic Theatre in Detroit. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Marine One, with President Donald Trump onboard, lifts off near Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
President Donald Trump, left, is escorted by Air Force Col. Christopher M. Robinson, commander of the 89th Airlift Wing, right, as he walk from Marine One to Air Force One, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)
