Omani climber Nadhira Al-Harthy dies in avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak

Omani mountaineer Nadhira Al-Harthy has died after an avalanche struck an international expedition on Broad Peak in Pakistan. Al-Harthy was part of a team of 10 climbers attempting to summit Broad Peak, which stands at 8,047 meters and is the world’s 12th highest mountain.

Al-Harthy was originally from the village of Al-Mudayrib in North Al Sharqiyah, Oman. She held a bachelor’s degree in social sciences and a master’s in geographical studies from Sultan Qaboos University. She worked as a geography teacher before moving into curriculum development and later held administrative roles at the Ministry of Education.

Early in her career, she led a group of students to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania as part of the GLOBE educational program to collect environmental data.

In 2019, Al-Harthy became the first Omani woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest, which rises over 8,800 meters, where she honored her guide Khalid Al-Siyabi. In 2021, she became the first Arab woman to summit a 6,812-meter peak in Nepal, despite a previous attempt being halted by altitude sickness. She also climbed the world’s eighth highest mountain in Nepal and the Pakistani peak known as the “Killer Mountain.”

Al-Harthy was killed two days ago in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan, according to statements from Pakistani authorities and the expedition company, after her body was found at the base of the avalanche site.