Diplomats, mountaineers and members of the public held a candlelight vigil in Islamabad on Tuesday night to pay tribute to 10 climbers killed in a Broad Peak avalanche, as search teams recounted the challenging effort to retrieve their fallen colleagues from the peak.

As rain poured over the open grounds of a sports complex in the Pakistani capital, mourners shielded candle flames from the wet weather while offering prayers for the victims who perished on the mountain.

The memorial event followed the conclusion of a search-and-recovery effort that retrieved the remains of eight victims, though two climbers remain unrecovered.

High-profile British-Nepali climber Nirmal Purja was among those who died. Six Nepalese citizens lost their lives in the 30 July tragedy when a huge avalanche swept through an international climbing group.

Joining the memorial service, Nepal’s ambassador to Pakistan, Rita Dhital, paid her respects as candles were lit. She recounted hosting Purja at her home in Islamabad prior to the climb, remembering his frequent phrase: "Giving up is not in my blood."

Dhital expressed gratitude to the local mountaineers and response teams who braved hazardous conditions to search for the missing. She offered special praise to prominent Pakistani climber Sirbaz Khan for leading the retrieval mission, alongside the Alpine Club of Pakistan, state officials, and military personnel.

She confirmed that the remains of all six Nepalese mountaineers have now been repatriated to their relatives.

Speaking to the press, Khan said that his team originally departed with hopes of rescuing survivors.

"I had hoped that I would hug them after finding them alive," he said. Ultimately, rescuers discovered the individuals entombed under avalanche snow and had to use shovels to manually excavate and extract each body.

He described the emotional toll of finding fellow climbers deceased on the slopes, adding that the crew steadied themselves to perform the arduous task of transporting the remains downhill using ropes and improvised stretchers. While saddened by the loss of life, Khan noted it brought comfort that anxious families could finally receive their loved ones' bodies.

Irfan Arshad Khan, president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan—who is unrelated to the team leader—said that seven bodies, including the six Nepalese mountaineers, have been repatriated. Severe weather consistently grounded rescue helicopters, compelling teams to carry out much of the search and recovery on foot until eight bodies could be moved to an airlift location.

Addressing the attendees at the service, he said: "We have gathered here today to commemorate the passing of our great comrades." He noted that the aftermath tested the physical limits and resolve of rescue personnel who persevered on foot during helicopter groundings.

The multinational team comprised mountaineers originating from Nepal, Britain, the United States, China, Oman, and Pakistan.

Standing at 8,051 metres (26,414 feet) in the Karakoram mountain range, Broad Peak ranks as the 12th-highest mountain globally and sits adjacent to K2, the world's second-tallest peak.

Fatalities and accidents remain frequent across northern Pakistan, a region containing several of the planet's highest summits.