Rock and ice swept down Everest towards British climbers - 18 people buried alive

[Surya Gayatri]

* Powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake caused an avalanche on Mount Everest

* At least 18 people have died and more than 30 injured on the mountain

* There are reports the avalanche has buried people in tents at base camp

* The earthquake - Nepal's worst in 81 years - has killed at least 1,100 people


At least 18 people have died and more than 30 have been injured in the avalanche, caused by a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Nepal - the country's worst in 81 years - which has claimed the lives of more than 1,100 people. The avalanche buried part of the basecamp on Mount Everest, raising fears for the safety of hundreds of climbers who are in the area. Carsten Lillelund Pedersen, a Dane who is climbing Everest, hid behind rocks when he realised he couldn't outrun the avalanche.






Mount Everest basecamp in Nepal pictured on April 11 before the avalanche hit, killing at least 18 people

Climber Robin Trygg told Swedish news agency TT his Sherpa guides had been in radio contact with other guides on Everest and they reported an avalanche there hitting as many as 80 people.

April is one of the most popular times to scale Everest, before rain and clouds cloak the peak at the end of May.

Mohan Krishna Sapkota, joint secretary in the Nepalese tourism ministry, said the government was struggling to assess the damage on Everest because of poor phone coverage.

'The trekkers are scattered all around the basecamp and some had even trekked further up,' Sapkota said. 'It is almost impossible to get in touch with anyone.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3055221/BREAKING-NEWS-pray-British-climbing-team-member-appeals-help-Mount-Everest-avalanche-caused-Nepal-earthquake-smashes-basecamp.html

______________________
Mountain climbing is inherently the most dangerous sport in the world. But, this is something else.

[FSogol]

1. Buried alive isn't really the correct term for being killed in an avalachne.

Half of all people struck and buried by an avalanche are killed instantly. It is suspected that this is from the shock. If you are buried for more than 45 minutes your chance of survival are really low due to shock, asphyxiation, and hypothermia. If you can be located by your team in 15 minutes you usually survive. Most teams carry avalanche beacons. They are kept on transmit and if you are lucky enough to avoid the snow and ice, you switch your locator to locate and look for the signals. Unfortunately many of these wouldn't be on in the base camp.

Very sad for everyone involved.

[bvar22]

2. Condolences to the families.

I watched a doc on Everest. The mountain is being covered with trash, empty oxygen bottles,
and human feces.

They should either limit access,
or make a rule that whatever you bring IN,
you must bring back out...even your human waste.

[FSogol]

3. The Nepalese Government runs two expeditions a year just to clean up

the mountain. The problem is that one something gets covered by snow on a glacier it gets swallowed up and disappears. All of the climbing groups on that mountain do make an attempt to carry out their waste.Feces are double bagged and carried out. Unfortunately it only takes dropping something for the trash to be unreachable. They don't limit access since the fees they charge rich westerners help pay for their government programs.

[pokerfan]

14. Even thirty years ago

we had to carry our own human waste off of Mt. Rainier.

http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/things-to-know-before-you-climb.htm

[FSogol]

15. Yup, I carried those blue bags around when I was there too. n/t

[Baclava]

4. Google Exec, Killed in Mt. Everest Avalanche

An adventuresome Google executive who once dated TV star Sophia Bush met a harrowing death on Mount Everest in a a series of valanches triggered by Saturday’s giant earthquake.

Dan Fredinburg, of San Francisco, was the only American confirmed by Saturday night to have died in the tragedy.

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He died from head injuries when the avalanche slammed into his base camp, according to family members and a statement from Jagged Globe, the mountaineering company that organized his summit attempt.

Feinberg also helped start Save the Ice, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about global warming “through adventurous campaigns and events around the world,” according to its website.

http://nypost.com/2015/04/25/google-exec-among-hundreds-dead-from-nepal-earthquake/

[Surya Gayatri]

5. He was an eco-warrior, too. The mountain takes who and what it wants.

'Feinberg also helped start Save the Ice, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about global warming “through adventurous campaigns and events around the world,” according to its website.'

Thoughts for his family and colleagues.

[Baclava]

11. another one - 'New Jersey woman among victims of earthquake in Nepal'

EAST ORANGE, N.J. -- A physician's assistant from New Jersey was among those killed in the earthquake in Nepal.

Marisa Eve Girawong had been working in Nepal for a company called Madison Mountaineering that posted the news of her death on its website.



Seattle-based Madison Mountaineering said that Girawong died in the aftermath of the avalanche that struck the climbers' base camp.

http://7online.com/news/new-jersey-woman-among-victims-of-earthquake-in-nepal/682233/

[Surya Gayatri]

12. Yes, I saw her story in the Daily Mail.

[cwydro]

6. Chomolungma has been abused and disrespected for too long.

I'm so sorry for the people of Nepal, but the wealthy mountaineers have been trashing that mountain for years.

[Surya Gayatri]

7. That said, they DO bring much needed foreign exchange to one

of the poorest nations on earth.

Part of the climbers' license fees are used by the government to clean up the mountain every year after the climbing season.

[cwydro]

8. I hear what you're saying.

I'm a huge Everest fan. The amount of money, however, that the big trekking companies make compared to what they pay most Sherpas is just obscene. The governments make a ton of money; the majority of Sherpas - not so much.

I have a large collection of books on Everest. The locals have warned for years that the Goddess Mother of Earth would eventually become angry at the disrespect shown her.

The pictures of the trash left behind by the wealthy uncaring climbers are disgusting. I completely recommend Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer about the 1996 season. Completely unprepared wealthy westerners paying to be hauled up the mountain. You may have already read it, and there are many, many other good books out there.

Sir Edmund Hillary was appalled at the trashing of the mountain in later years.

[malaise]

9. Who gets that wealth? n/t

[Surya Gayatri]

10. Therein lies another question...corruption is endemic.

[cwydro]

13. I just hate the filth that the west has brought to that mountain.

Feces, trash, everywhere on the mountain. Numerous bodies at all levels. The base camp area is absolutely disgusting.

It's just a money making enterprise for the government and for the trekking/climbing companies - hauling rich westerners up a mountain where they have no business being.