Three of four climbers whose bodies have been located by Pakistani search crews have been recovered after at least 10 mountaineers went missing in a suspected avalanche on Broad Peak a ⁠day earlier, officials said.

The Gilgit-Baltistan regional government said on Friday evening that the bodies of Nepalese climber Pur Bahadur Gurung, Omani Nadhira Al Harthy, and Mallory Geis from the United States were now secured in local facilities.

Among those still missing is Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja. The leader of the expedition, also known as Nims Dai, holds the record for the fastest ascent of the world’s 14 highest mountains.

Nadhira Al Harthy made history as the first Omani woman and second Omani national to summit Mount Everest, becoming a landmark figure for adventurers across the Sultanate.

Her high-altitude accomplishments also included successful summits of several of the world’s most formidable 8,000-meter peaks, including Manaslu, K2, and Nanga Parbat.

The 39-year-old Geis closed her Pilates studio earlier this year to focus on outdoor adventures. Reflecting on the transition in a social media post, she described it as taking “a giant leap of faith into the unknown,” adding, “I have a sneaking suspicion there will be lots of helmets, harnesses, and crampons involved.”

Sajid Hussain, the deputy director of the tourism department in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region, told Reuters the search for the remaining six was focusing on a “remote and difficult area”.

Broad Peak is the 12th-highest mountain in the world. The 10 climbers went missing after an avalanche.

“The Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) has received deeply concerning reports of an avalanche that struck a team of climbers on Broad Peak (8,047m) in the Karakoram mountain range,” the club said in a statement.

ACP said the expedition comprised 10 people overall: five Nepalese including Gurung, Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi, and a climber from China identified only as Wang, as well as Al Harthy and Geis.

Police did not mention a US citizen but said two British nationals – a man and a woman – were in the missing team.

“The entire team has reportedly been out of communication since the avalanche,” the club said.

“Every possible effort is being made to ensure that helicopter support and all available rescue resources are mobilised at the earliest opportunity, subject to weather and operational conditions,” it added.

China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said they were “urgently working to verify and understand the situation” and said Beijing was willing to provide assistance to Pakistan.

Purja, 43, has broken multiple climbing records since becoming a full-time mountaineer and tour guide in 2018, after leaving the British military.

He climbed all 14 “eight-thousanders” (peaks above 8,000 metres, or 26,000 feet) in six months and six days between April and October 2019, a record at the time.

In 2021, Purja completed the first winter ascent of K2 as part of a team of nine other Nepalese climbers.