Candlelight vigil in Islamabad honors 10 climbers killed on Broad Peak

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Mountaineers, diplomats and members of civil society gathered in Pakistan’s capital Tuesday evening for a candlelight vigil honoring 10 climbers killed in an avalanche on Broad Peak, as rescuers described an arduous mission to bring their fellow climbers down from one of the world’s highest mountains.

Rain fell as mourners lit candles and prayed for the dead, shielding the flickering flames from the downpour as they gathered on the open lawns of a sports complex in Islamabad to remember the climbers who never returned from the mountain.

The vigil came days after search teams ended an operation that recovered the remains of eight climbers. Two bodies have not yet been recovered.

Among the dead was renowned British-Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja. Nepal lost six climbers in the July 30 disaster, when a massive avalanche struck an international expedition.

Nepal’s ambassador to Pakistan, Rita Dhital, joined the vigil and paid tribute to the climbers as candles were lit in their memory. She recalled meeting Purja at her Islamabad home before the expedition and said he would often tell her, “Giving up is not in my blood.”

She thanked Pakistani climbers and rescuers who went onto the mountain in dangerous weather to search for the missing climbers and recover their bodies. Dhital particularly praised renowned Pakistani mountaineer Sirbaz Khan, who led the recovery team, as well as the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the military and government officials involved in the operation.

The bodies of all six Nepalese climbers have been returned to their families, she said.

Khan told The Associated Press that he and his team had set out hoping they would find the missing climbers alive. “I had hoped that I would hug them after finding them alive,” he said. Instead, the rescuers found climbers buried beneath the avalanche. Khan said the team used shovels to dig through the snow and pull out the bodies one by one.

Seeing fellow mountaineers dead on the mountain was difficult, he said, but the rescuers composed themselves and began the equally difficult task of bringing the bodies down, using ropes and makeshift stretchers. Khan said he remained deeply saddened by the deaths but took some solace in knowing that families who had waited desperately for news were able to receive the remains of their loved ones.

Irfan Arshad Khan, president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan and no relation to the rescuer, said the remains of seven climbers, including all six from Nepal, had been repatriated. He said bad weather repeatedly prevented helicopters from reaching the accident site, forcing rescuers to continue much of the search and recovery operation on foot. Eight bodies were eventually brought to a location from where they could be airlifted, he said.

“We have gathered here today to commemorate the passing of our great comrades,” Khan told those attending the vigil. He said the days following the avalanche tested not only the endurance of those searching the mountain but also the courage of rescuers who continued on foot when helicopters could not reach them.

The international expedition included climbers from Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, China, Britain and the United States.

Broad Peak, which rises 8,051 meters (26,414 feet) above sea level in the Karakoram range, is the world’s 12th-highest mountain and lies near K2, the world’s second-highest peak.

Mountaineering accidents are common in northern Pakistan, home to some of the world’s highest mountains.

Participant's shadows visible over an poster with the pictures of 10 climbers who lost their lives on Broad Peak during a candlelight vigil in their memory, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

People attend a candlelight vigil in memory of 10 climbers who lost their lives on Broad Peak, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Nepalese Ambassador to Pakistan Rita Dhital, left, and others place flowers next to pictures of climbers who lost their lives on Broad Peak, during a candlelight vigil in their memory, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Nepalese Ambassador to Pakistan Rita Dhital, center, delivers her speech during a candlelight vigil in memory of 10 climbers who lost their lives on Broad Peak, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Candles burn next to pictures of climbers who lost their lives on Broad Peak during a candlelight vigil in their memory, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

CHICAGO (AP) — Severe weather cut power to more than half a million people in the Chicago area and northwestern Indiana as perilous thunderstorms and extreme wind gusts pummeled the region Tuesday, causing widespread damage.

Tornado warning sirens howled as the skies darkened. All flights were temporarily stopped at Chicago’s two major airports, and officials warned of delays as the backlog was cleared. In Ohio, power outages swept the state capital region, and at least one death was reported.

Photos posted on social media from the Chicago area, and across the state line in Indiana, showed flooded roads, trees tangled in power lines and homes with gashes in their roofs.

“No power. It was very scary. We were down in the basement,” said Javid Jenkins of Homewood, a Chicago suburb. “We’re built for snow. We’re built for cold. We’re not built for this.”

Jenkins, 54, said he was driving around for gas to fire up a generator to preserve food in his refrigerator.

There were numerous reports of wind gusts of 80 mph (128 kph) or more at personal weather stations.

“Total devastation. No roof,” said Kerry Hourigan, standing outside her home of 25 years in Tinley Park, another Chicago suburb. “Stupid thing, but my focus was I just bought a new barbecue grill, and I have no idea where that is. It’s disappeared.”

The National Weather Service bluntly warned earlier in the day: “These are dangerous storms!”

More than 600,000 customers lost electricity in Illinois and Indiana, according to poweroutage.us. Lake and Porter counties in Indiana and Will County, south of Chicago, were especially hard hit. Farther east in Ohio, more than 290,000 customers were without power.

Meteorologist Scott Baker said the Midwest was on the outer edge of a “ring of fire,” bringing waves of excessive moisture, instability and storms.

In Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine said a resident of Roseville died during a health emergency when first responders, faced with flooded roads, couldn’t get there. He warned that flood dangers would persist.

“This is not something that will end tonight,” DeWine said of the severe weather.

Indeed, forecasters said multiple rounds of rain would cause flood hazards in the Ohio Valley through early Friday.

Officials in Columbus, Ohio, sent local government workers home early ahead of another round of storms. The library in Westerville, Ohio, closed after rain poured into the atrium.

The fifth day of the 10-day Lake County, Indiana, Fair was canceled, disappointing fans who were hoping to see a professional wrestling event involving people under 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall.

Nearby in LaPorte County, Indiana, there was a “tremendous amount of tree damage,” Commissioner Joe Haney said.

White reported from Detroit. Associated Press writers Jennifer Garske in Washington and Sudhin Thanawala in Atlanta contributed.

In this image made from video, damage caused by a strong storm is seen a home in Tinley Park, Ill., Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Laura Bargfeld)

A home is damaged after a storm in Tinley Park, Ill., Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Laura Bargfeld)

Kerry Hourigan speaks on the phone after reviewing damage a storm caused to her home in Tinley Park, Ill., Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Laura Bargfeld)

In this image made from video, a roof is damaged after a strong storm in Tinley Park, Ill., Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Laura Bargfeld)

Storm clouds move in from the left during the Cincinnati Bengals' NFL football practice in Cincinnati, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Storm clouds are seen over the Cincinnati Bengals NFL football practice in Cincinnati, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)