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On 18 April 2014, an avalanche occurred on Mount Everest near Everest Base Camp that killed at least twelve Nepalese guides. As of 18 April, four others were missing.

Overview

At approximately 06:45 local time (01:00 UTC), an avalanche occurred on the southern side of Mount Everest at an elevation of approximately 19,000 feet (5,800 m). The area, known locally as "the Golden Gate" or "popcorn field", lies within the Khumbu Icefall. The presence of numerous unstable seracs in the icefield means that climbers try to pass through it as quickly as possible, usually in the early morning before temperatures rise. Approximately 30 men, mostly of them Sherpa guides, were buried in the avalanche. The group had been fixing ropes and otherwise preparing the South Col route for fee-paying climbers during the upcoming climbing season. The guides must find and maintain a new path through the area in question each year, as conditions there change regularly.

A guide typically earns about US$125 per climb. Most come from families of climbers, are raised on stories of wealth earned from climbing, and have few other economic opportunities. Between 350 and 450 guides, most of them Sherpas, are employees each year during the climbing season. However, in recent years, foreigners have begun bringing in their own guides, causing tension with the locals. Eight people died on Everest in 2013, including one of the most experienced Sherpa guides.

Victims

At least 12 people were killed in the avalanche. Four of the dead were Sherpas from the Solukhumbu District of Nepal. Five of the dead were working for the Discovery Channel in preparation for an upcoming special in which Joby Ogwyn will attempt to base jump from the mountain. No foreigners were killed. According to mountaineer Tim Rippel, the victims were moving slowly and carrying large "loads of equipment, tents, stoves, oxygen and so on up to stock camps" at the time of the disaster. The guides had started out early in the morning, as they prepared for the height of the climbing season in May, but were delayed by poor climbing conditions. Four guides were injured badly enough to require hospitalisation.

While more than 200 people have died whilst climbing Everest, the incident was the single deadliest in history, superseding the 1996 disaster which killed eight foreign climbers.

Aftermath

Rippel reported that "everyone is shaken here at base camp." Some climbers packed up their stuff and left. The Nepalese government has announced a compensation of Nepali Rs. 40,000 ($400) each as immediate relief to the next of kin of the victims.

References

1. ^ Ellen Barry; Graham Bowlet (18 April 2014). "Deadliest Day: Sherpas Bear Everest's Risks". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
2. ^ "Everest avalanche kills at least 12 Sherpa guides". BBC News. 18 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
3. ^ Burke, Jason; Rauniyar, Ishwar (18 April 2014). "Mount Everest avalanche leaves at least 12 Nepalese climbers dead". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
4. "Twelve Dead in Mount Everest Avalanche". Daily Telegraph. Australia. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
5. ^ "12+ Trekkers killed Avalanche hits Mt. Everest Base Camp in Nepal". IANS. news.biharprabha.com. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
6. ^ "Twelve Dead in Mount Everest Avalanche". Daily Telegraph. Australia. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
7. "Mount Everest's 'Deadliest Avalanche' Kills 12". Sky News. 18 April 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.

v t e Mount Everest
Topography and landmarks	Base Camp Geneva Spur Hillary Step Hornbein Couloir Kangshung Face (East Face) Kangshung Glacier Khumbu Glacier Khumbu Icefall Lhakpa La Lho La North Col North Face Norton Couloir Rongbuk Glacier South Col South Summit Three Pinnacles Three Steps "Green Boots cave" Western Cwm
Expeditions	1921 British reconnaissance 1922 British 1924 British (Affair of the Dancing Lamas) 1933 British aerial reconnaissance 1933 British 1935 British 1936 British 1938 British 1950–52 British–Swiss–US reconnaissance 1951 British 1952 Swiss 1953 British 1960 Chinese 1963 American 1975 British SW Face 1976 British–Nepalese SW Face 1979 Yugoslav West Ridge 1996 Indo-Tibetan Border Police 2006 Philippine 2007 Altitude Everest expedition Earth Day 20 International Peace Climb Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition
Notable fatalities	Francys Arsentiev (Sleeping Beauty) Peter Boardman Green Boots Sandy Irvine George Mallory Hannelore Schmatz David Sharp Joe Tasker
Committees	Joint Himalayan Committee Mount Everest Committee
In media	Beyond the Edge The Climb (book) The Climb (2007 film) The Epic of Everest Everest (1998 film) Everest (2015 film) Everest (Indian TV series) Everest '82 Everest: Beyond the Limit EverestMax Expedition Everest (roller coaster) Into Thin Air The Man Who Skied Down Everest Mount Everest webcam Paths of Glory Peak The Conquest of Everest The Wildest Dream Wings Over Everest
Years	1970 disaster 1974 avalanche 1988 disaster 1996 disaster 2012 2013 2014 avalanche 2015 avalanches 2016 2017 2018
Mount Everest massif	Khumbutse Lhotse Lingtren Nuptse Pumori
Records	Times to the summit 20th-century summiters
Mountain guides	List of Mount Everest guides Sherpas

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