India, Aug. 1 -- Nepal's veteran mountaineer Nirmal Purja remained among six climbers missing after an avalanche struck an expedition on Pakistan's Broad Peak, where rescuers have recovered four bodies and continued search operations despite adverse weather, officials said on Friday.

Broad Peak (8,051 metres), located in the Karakoram range near K2, is the world's 12th-highest mountain and is considered one of the most challenging peaks to climb.

The avalanche struck the mountain at an altitude of around 7,000 metres on Thursday, sweeping away a 10-member climbing team that had begun its summit push, according to the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP).

The climbers - six from Nepal, one Pakistani, one Omani, one American and one Chinese - w...