Climber Yukta killed in Broad Peak avalanche cremated in Kathmandu

Nepali climber Pur Bahadur Gurung, who was among the 10 mountaineers killed in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, was cremated following Buddhist rituals and tradition in Kathmandu on Friday.

Gurung, popularly known as ‘Yukta’, and nine other climbers, including veteran Nepalese-British mountaineer Nirmal Purja, died after the avalanche struck the world’s 12th-highest mountain at 8,051 metres in PoK’s Gilgit-Baltistan on July 30. The climbers were declared dead on August 1.

Government officials, political leaders, tourism entrepreneurs, mountaineers, well-wishers and family members of Yukta were present when he was cremated near the Swoyambhunath Stupa in Kathmandu, according to Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) sources. A funeral procession was held before the last rites at the Swoyambhunath Stupa.

The mountaineer’s body was brought to Kathmandu from Pakistan and was accorded a solemn reception at the Tribhuvan International Airport.