KATHMANDU, AUGUST 7
Hundreds of mountaineers, family members and well-wishers gathered in Kathmandu on Thursday evening to pay their final respects to veteran Nepali mountain guide Pur Bahadur “Yukta” Gurung, whose body was repatriated from Pakistan a week after he was killed in the deadly Broad Peak avalanche.
Gurung’s body arrived at Tribhuvan International Airport on Thursday afternoon and was received by representatives of the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN), Expedition Operators’ Association Nepal (EOA), Expedition Support Alliance (ESA), fellow climbers and relatives. Draped in the national flag, the casket was later taken to the NMA headquarters at Nagpokhari, where a public memorial was held.
Security personnel carry the coffin containing the body of renowned Nepali mountaineer Pur Bahadur Gurung (Yukta) at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Thursday, August 6, 2026. Photo: Skanda Gautam/THT
Hundreds of mourners, including members of Nepal’s mountaineering fraternity, paid floral tributes and offered khadas during the ceremony, honouring Gurung’s decades-long contribution to Himalayan mountaineering.
Gurung served as vice-president of the NMA Gandaki Province Committee and was a member of the NMA Manang Mountaineering School Committee. According to expedition organiser Elite Exped, he had summited Mt Everest 10 times, completed 28 ascents of peaks above 8,000 metres, explored several previously unclimbed Himalayan peaks and recently earned certification from the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations (IFMGA).
Relatives mourn over the coffin containing the body of renowned Nepali mountaineer Pur Bahadur Gurung (Yukta) at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Thursday, August 6, 2026. Photo: Skanda Gautam/THT
The veteran climber was among 10 mountaineers killed when a massive avalanche swept through an international expedition on Broad Peak (8,047m) in Pakistan on July 30. The victims included renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal “Nims” Purja as well as climbers from Nepal, Pakistan, China, Oman and the United States.
Relatives mourn over the coffin containing the body of renowned Nepali mountaineer Pur Bahadur Gurung (Yukta) at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Thursday, August 6, 2026. Photo: Skanda Gautam/THT
Gurung’s final rites are scheduled to be performed at Swayambhu on Friday morning in accordance with Buddhist traditions.
Photos by Skanda Gautam for The Himalayan Times
Relatives mourn after the body of renowned Nepali mountaineer Pur Bahadur Gurung (Yukta) arrives at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Thursday, August 6, 2026. Photo: Skanda Gautam/THT
Relatives mourn after the body of renowned Nepali mountaineer Pur Bahadur Gurung (Yukta) arrives at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Thursday, August 6, 2026. Photo: Skanda Gautam/THT
Relatives mourn after the body of renowned Nepali mountaineer Pur Bahadur Gurung (Yukta) arrives at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Thursday, August 6, 2026. Photo: Skanda Gautam/THT