By Raymond Zhong and Niharika Mandhana
NEW DELHI--The earthquake that ravaged parts of Nepal on
Saturday triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest that killed 10
people, according to the Nepal Mountaineering Association, making
it the deadliest day in the history of climbing on the world's
highest peak.
The rush of ice and snow swept through the base camp where
climbers were preparing to ascend the mountain, expedition
operators said. Google Inc. said Saturday that one of its
engineers, Dan Fredinburg, was among the dead. It said three other
Google employees on Everest were safe.
An avalanche on Everest last year killed 16 Nepali staff. That
disaster sparked protests among the Nepalese who help haul
climbers' gear, cook their food and set up their camps, leading
many trip operators to call off their expeditions.
Ang Tshering Sherpa, the head of the Nepal Mountaineering
Association, said 61 people were injured on the mountain in
Saturday's disaster. The epicenter of the quake was 135 miles west
of Everest.
Nima Namgyal Sherpa, a physician and mountaineer, said on
Facebook that a helicopter landed at base camp early Sunday morning
to evacuate the injured. "Praying for [a] few hours of good weather
to complete our rescue mission," Dr. Sherpa wrote.
With this spring's Himalayan climbing season only a few weeks
old, teams were at base camp acclimatizing and making preparatory
hikes. Trekking companies from Katmandu to New Zealand spoke with
their teams in the Himalayas by satellite phone.
Iswari Paudel, managing director of Himalayan Guides Nepal, a
Katmandu-based trekking firm, said he had gotten word that the
avalanche killed four people who were working on the mountain for
his company.
Caroline Blaikie, operations manager at Wanaka, New
Zealand-based Adventure Consultants, said the company's team on
Mount Everest was safe. Russell Brice, owner of Himalayan
Experience, said his team was unharmed and staying at base
camp.
Buildings were also damaged in the mountainous Khumbu region
that trekkers traverse to reach Everest, according to Sarad Dulal,
managing director of Swissa, a Katmandu-based adventure company.
Swissa had four trekkers and two guides in the area, all of whom
were safe, Mr. Dulal said.
Write to Niharika Mandhana at niharika.mandhana@wsj.com
Access Investor Kit for Google, Inc.
Visit
http://www.companyspotlight.com/partner?cp_code=P479&isin=US38259P5089
Access Investor Kit for Google, Inc.
Visit
http://www.companyspotlight.com/partner?cp_code=P479&isin=US38259P7069
Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires