Avalanche in Pakistan kills famed mountaineer Nirmal Purja and his fellow climbers

A mountaineering team with climbers from around the world, including the U.S., was attempting to climb one of the tallest peaks on earth.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/2266x1511+0+0/resize/2266x1511!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd7%2F50%2F1e0054aa4e809cb27ec1d3ffd6d6%2Fap26212068769209.jpg' alt='FILE - Nirmal Purja, one of the team members of the all-Nepalese mountaineering team that became the first to scale Mount K2 in winter, gestures as the team arrives at Tribhuwan International airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Jan. 26, 2021.'/><p>A mountaineering team with climbers from around the world, including the U.S., was attempting to climb one of the tallest peaks on earth.</p><p>(Image credit: Niranjan Shrestha)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5916368' />