KATHMANDU, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Celebrated Nepali climber

Nirmal Purja, who set a record for the fastest ascent of the

world's 14 highest mountains, died in an avalanche during an

expedition in Pakistan, his company said on Saturday.

"Today it is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak

that we confirm that Nirmal 'Nimsdai' Purja tragically lost his

life following the avalanche on Broad Peak," his expedition

organising company Elite Exped said in an Instagram post.

"We have also received confirmation that other members of

the expedition sadly did not survive," it added, without giving

details.

Purja, 43, and nine others had been missing since Thursday

after being struck by an avalanche on the 8,051-metre

(26,414-foot) Broad Peak, the world's 12th-highest mountain, a

technically difficult climb in Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan

region.

Officials said the bodies of Purja and other climbers were

located in a difficult site and had yet to be retrieved.

Purja, who served in the British military with the Gurkhas

and later in special forces, completed the record-breaking feat

in six months in 2019. He became widely known internationally

after the Netflix ( NFLX ) documentary chronicling his journey, "14

Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible," was released two years later.

The 10 mountaineers were caught in an avalanche around

midday on Thursday. Six of the 10 were Nepalis and the others

were from ⁠Pakistan, Oman, the U.S. and China.

Search crews recovered three bodies on Friday.

Chhang Dawa Sherpa, a board director of Seven Summit Treks

which had ​three Sherpa guides among the dead ⁠climbers, said

the remaining bodies were "spotted and identified" with the help

of drone footage and were yet to be retrieved.

"They are in a difficult spot and have not been retrieved

yet," Chhang told Reuters.

He said that unlike Nepal, Pakistan does not have the

practice of long-line rescue by helicopters on the mountains.

"We have to take into account the safety of those who go and

retrieve the bodies."

Sajid Hussain, deputy director of the tourism department of

Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, said the rescue operation

was still ongoing.

"Rescue teams have successfully identified the location of

the victims; however, they have not yet been able to recover and

bring them down safely," he told Reuters.

"Although the location has been confirmed, the recovery

mission has not yet been successful."

Hussain said this is an "extremely challenging" mountain

recovery operation that requires rescuers to climb to the site.

While drone surveillance and aerial reconnaissance have

helped identify the exact location, reaching the victims and

safely recovering them remains a highly difficult task, he said.

In 2019, Purja climbed Annapurna, the 10th-highest mountain

in the world. He then began taking on other 8,000-metre peaks.

Of the world's 14 highest mountains, eight are in ⁠Nepal, five

in Pakistan and one in the Tibet region of China.

Climbing experts say barely more than three dozen

mountaineers have climbed all 14 peaks to date. Broad Peak is

considered one of Pakistan's most challenging climbs.