![]() The Khumbu Icefall in 2005. The ice avalanche came from a serac fall from an ice bulge on Mount Everest's western shoulder (centre left), above the icefall. | |
Date | 18 April 2014 |
---|---|
Time | 06:45 local time (01:00 UTC) |
Location | Khumbu Icefall, Mount Everest |
Coordinates | 27°59′32″N86°52′38″E / 27.99222°N 86.87722°E |
Cause | Avalanche |
Deaths | 16 |
Non-fatal injuries | 9 |
On 18 April 2014, seracs on the western spur of Mount Everest failed, resulting in an ice avalanche that killed sixteen climbing Sherpas in the Khumbu Icefall. This was the same icefall where the 1970 Mount Everest disaster had taken place. Thirteen bodies were recovered within two days, while the remaining three were never recovered due to the great danger in attempting such an expedition. Many Sherpas were angered by what they saw as the Nepalese government's meager offer of compensation to victims' families, and threatened a protest or strike. On 22 April, the Sherpas announced they would not work on Everest for the remainder of 2014 as a mark of respect for the victims.
A Sherpa who works as a porter specialised in high-altitude work including rope fixing on Mount Everest typically earns about US$125/day per climb. Most come from climbing families, are raised on stories of wealth from climbs, with relatively few other economic opportunities. Between 350 and 450 such people, mostly from the Sherpa ethnic group, work each year's climbing season. [1] (They are all referred to as "Sherpas" regardless of specific ethnicity.) As such, they can earn up to $5,000 a year, compared with Nepal's average annual salary of $700. [2]
In the years prior to the disaster, foreigners began bringing their own guides, causing tension with locals. [1] Eight people, including one of the most experienced Sherpa guides, died on Mount Everest in 2013. [3] [4]
The presence of numerous unstable blocks of ice (called seracs) in and above the Khumbu Icefall encourages climbers to try to pass through as quickly as possible, usually in the very early morning before temperatures rise and loosen the ice. [1] In the spring of 2012 Russell Brice, of the guiding company Himex, called off guided ascents run by his company due to safety concerns. He was worried about the stability of a 300 metres (980 ft) wide ice cliff, or ice bulge, on Mount Everest's western shoulder that could endanger the route through the Khumbu Icefall, if it collapsed. "When I see around 50 people moving underneath the cliff at one time," he commented, "it scares me." [5] However, Brice and Himex returned to the south side of Everest for the 2014 climbing season. [6] Mountaineer Alan Arnette reported that this ice bulge had been a known hazard for years and had discharged ice into the Khumbu Icefall almost every season. He added that, "In 2012 it narrowly missed many climbers." [7] According to writer and mountaineer Jon Krakauer, the 2014 ice avalanche was triggered when a block of ice "the size of a Beverly Hills mansion" broke off from the bulge. [5]
Conditions change regularly with the glacier's shifting ice, so climbing guides must find and maintain a new route through the icefall each season. [3]
At approximately 06:45 local time (01:00 UTC, 18 April 2014), an ice avalanche occurred on the southern side of Mount Everest, at an elevation of approximately 5,800 metres (19,000 ft). [8] Twenty-five men, mostly Sherpas, were buried in the avalanche. [5] The group was fixing ropes and preparing the South Col route for fee-paying climbers during the upcoming climbing season. [3] The accident zone, locally known as "the Golden Gate" or "Popcorn Field", lies within the Khumbu Icefall. [1] [8]
The ice avalanche came from a large serac breaking off on the slopes of Mount Everest's western shoulder. Despite most reporting, this was not an avalanche in the usual sense of the word as there was little snow involved and the large blocks of serac ice behave much more like a rockfall. [1] [9] The serac was estimated to have been 34.5 meters (113 ft) thick and to have had a mass of 14,300 tonnes (31.5 million pounds). [10] Though there have been calls for construction of defensive structures, they are impossible on the scale necessary. [11]
Victims [1] |
---|
Mingma Nuru Sherpa |
Dorji Sherpa |
Ang Tshiri Sherpa |
Nima Sherpa |
Phurba Ongyal Sherpa |
Lakpa Tenjing Sherpa |
Chhiring Ongchu Sherpa |
Dorjee Khatri |
Then Dorjee Sherpa |
Phur Temba Sherpa |
Pasang Karma Sherpa |
Asman Tamang |
Tenzing Chottar Sherpa |
Ankaji Sherpa |
Pem Tenji Sherpa |
Ash Bahadur Gurung |
Sixteen people died in the disaster. Thirteen bodies were recovered within 48 hours, when search and rescue operations were called off due to "too much risk". Three victims are still buried in roughly 80 to 100 metres (260 to 330 ft) of snow and ice. [12] Nine other guides were also injured, including three who required intensive-care hospitalisation. [2] [12]
Four fatalities were Sherpas from Nepal's Solukhumbu District. [13] Five were working for Discovery Channel, preparing for an upcoming special in which Joby Ogwyn was planning to attempt a BASE jump from the mountain. [4] No foreigners were killed. [1] 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" when the avalanche occurred. [1] The Sherpas had started out in early morning but were delayed by poor climbing conditions. [3] [4] The second unit crew of disaster movie Everest (2015) were filming nearby, but suffered no injuries or fatalities; Sherpas involved with the film's production gave assistance after the avalanche. [14] In total, the search and rescue team included nine Sherpas and three foreigners. [12]
The 2014 disaster is the second-deadliest disaster in Everest's history, only superseded by avalanches that struck the southern side of the mountain the following year, on 25 April 2015, triggered by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Nepal.
Rippel reported "everyone is shaken here at base camp". Some of the climbers immediately packed up their belongings and left. [1]
In addition to mandatory insurance policies paying US$10,000 to guides' families, the Nepalese government announced compensation of Nepali Rs. 40,000 ($400) each as immediate relief to the victims' next of kin. [13] [15] This government offering, which only covers funeral costs, angered Sherpas and was dismissed by the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA). [15] The NMA announced they would stop work in seven days' time if compensation of US$10,000 were not paid to families of the dead, injured and missing. They further demanded a memorial to the dead, the doubling of insurance coverage to $20,000 and government payment of medical bills. [16] According to unverified reports, 350 guides voted to suspend operations on Everest. Other reports said the guides agreed to unspecified "strong protests". [2]
On 21 April, eight of the dead were ceremoniously driven through Kathmandu and then cremated in a Buddhist religious ceremony. [2] On 22 April, the Sherpas announced they would not work on Everest for the rest of 2014 out of respect for the victims. [17] Tulsi Gurung said: "We had a long meeting this afternoon and we decided to stop our climbing this year to honour our fallen brothers. All Sherpas are united in this." [17] The fate of 334 climbing permits sold at $10,000 each is uncertain. [15] By 24 April, almost all expeditions had decided to abandon their climbing plans; the 600 mountaineers who were at Base Camp before the avalanche was down to 40 or 50. [11]
On 23 April, the Nepalese government announced it would give an additional 500,000 Nepali Rs. (approx. US$5,100) to the families of the dead climbers. [18] Although these funds started to be paid in December 2014, it was reported in January 2015 that the bereaved Sherpa families were further angered because the money could only be obtained if they presented documentation in Kathmandu, which is impossible for many of those who live in the Khumbu region. [19]
Discovery cancelled Ogwyn's planned BASE jump shortly after the ice avalanche struck, and announced it would broadcast a documentary about the tragedy. [20] [21] Entitled Everest Avalanche Tragedy, the 90-minute programme was shown on 4 May. The company also said it would make a donation to the American Himalayan Foundation Sherpa Family Fund, a charity supporting the families of those who died in the disaster. [20]
Following the accident, the NMA president Ang Tsering Sherpa proposed installing avalanche-prevention barriers similar to those found above European ski resorts. [11] He said: "We should ... adopt some precautionary measure – learning from [how] mountains [are managed] in developed countries where they adopt measures to avoid avalanches by putting some kind of wood or some concrete so that it helps make it safe." [11] It is very doubtful however if any defensive structures are feasible for events of this size.
The 2015 documentary Sherpa explores reactions to the avalanche after filmmakers were on location when it occurred. [22]
Year | Summiters | Reference(s) |
---|---|---|
2012 | 547 | [23] |
2013 | 658 | [24] |
2014 | 106 | [25] |
2015 | 0 | [26] |
2016 | 641 | [27] |
2017 | 648 | [28] |
2018 | 801 |
The first post-avalanche ascent of Mount Everest via the South Col route was on 23 May 2014, by Chinese businesswoman Wang Jing, together with five sherpas. [29] [30] Her ascent sparked controversy, as she bypassed the Khumbu Icefall by helicopter, which took her to 6,400 m (21,000 ft); [30] this decision was made because the 2014 ropes and ladders had been removed. [29] She made her ascent without new rope lines, and beyond the usual 14:00 cut-off time, and made her descent in the dark. [29] Tamding Sherpa, the leader of the team that Wang was planning to use before her original expedition was called off as a result of the disaster, stated that he considered her ascent to be "cheating". [30]
As a result of the dangers of the normal route up the left side of the icefall, the Nepali authorities announced in February 2015 that a new route, up the centre of the icefall, would be followed instead. [31] According to the director of the Nepali government’s Department of Tourism, Tulasi Prasad Gautam, "In response to the last year’s avalanche we are trying to make Everest climbing a little safer by avoiding the old route." [31]
In addition, the insurance for each Sherpa in 2015 was raised to $15,000 from $11,000. [32]
Mount Everest is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation of 8,848.86 m was most recently established in 2020 by the Chinese and Nepali authorities.
The Sherpas are one of the Tibetan ethnic groups native to the most mountainous regions of Nepal and Tibetan Autonomous Region. The term sherpa derives from the Tibetan-language words shar and pa, which refer to their geographical origin in eastern Tibet.
Lhotse is the fourth-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest, K2, and Kangchenjunga. At an elevation of 8,516 metres (27,940 ft) above sea level, the main summit is on the border between Tibet Autonomous Region of China and the Khumbu region of Nepal.
Pumori is a mountain on the Nepal-China border in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. Pumori lies just eight kilometres west of Mount Everest. Pumori, meaning "the Mountain Daughter" in Sherpa language, was named by George Mallory. "Pumo" means young girl or daughter and "Ri" means mountain in Sherpa language. Climbers sometimes refer to Pumori as "Everest's Daughter". Mallory also called it Clare Peak, after his daughter.
The Khumbu Icefall is located at the head of the Khumbu Glacier and the foot of the Western Cwm. It lies at an elevation of 5,486 meters on the Nepali slopes of Mount Everest, not far above Base Camp and southwest of the summit. The icefall is regarded as one of the most dangerous sections of the South Col route to Everest's summit.
A serac is a block or column of glacial ice, often formed by intersecting crevasses on a glacier. Commonly house-sized or larger, they are dangerous to mountaineers, since they may topple with little warning. Even when stabilized by persistent cold weather, they can be an impediment to glacier travel.
Apa, nicknamed "Super Sherpa", is a Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer who, until 2017, jointly with Phurba Tashi held the record for reaching the summit of Mount Everest more times than any other climber. As part of The Eco Everest Expedition 2011, Apa made his 21st Mount Everest summit in May 2011 then retired after a promise to his wife to stop climbing after 21 ascents. He first summited Everest in 1990 and his last time to the summit was in 2011.
The 1970 Mt. Everest disaster is the term for the avalanche death of six Nepalese Sherpa porters on 5 April 1970, who were killed on the Khumbu Icefall of Mount Everest while assisting the Japanese Everest Skiing Expedition 1970 climbing expedition. Four days later Sherpa Kyak Tsering, a porter on a different Japanese Mt. Everest expedition, was killed by ice falling from a serac. Later, Yūichirō Miura, the focus of the film expedition, became the first person to attempt to successfully ski down Everest.
In the afternoon of 25 April 2015, a MW 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal and surrounding countries. Tremors from the quake triggered an avalanche from Pumori into Base Camp on Mount Everest. At least twenty-two people were killed, surpassing the toll of an avalanche that occurred in 2014 as the deadliest disaster on the mountain.
Sherpa is a 2015 documentary film by Australian filmmaker Jennifer Peedom. It was filmed during the 2014 Mount Everest ice avalanche.
The Mount Everest climbing season of 2017 began in spring with the first climbers reaching the top on May 11, from the north side. The first team on the south side reached the top on May 15. By early June, reports from Nepal indicated that 445 people had made it to the summit from the Nepali side. Reports indicate 160–200 summits on the north side, with 600–660 summiters overall for early 2017. This year had a roughly 50% success rate on that side for visiting climbers, which was down from other years. By 2018, the figure for the number of summiters of Everest was refined to 648. This includes 449 which summited via Nepal and 120 from Chinese Tibet.
The Mount Everest climbing season of 2013 included 658 summits and 8 deaths. Due to avalanches in 2014 and 2015, this was the last big summiting year until 2016.
Mount Everest climbing season included 245 summits on May 19, 2012, a record number of summits on a single day. It would take seven more years to break this record. This added congestion resulted in the highest fatality total since 1996. 683 climbers from 34 countries attempted to climb the mountain, and 547 people summited. A record was set in May when 234 climbers summitted on a single day. There were 11 deaths, some of which were attributed to overcrowding near the peak.
Mount Everest in 2016 covers events about Mount Everest, the highest mountain on Earth located in Nepal and Chinese Tibet in Asia. It is a popular climbing destination for extreme high altitude climbers, with several hundred climbing each year despite various dangers.
Mount Everest in 2018 is about events in the year about the highest Earth mountain, Mount Everest, a popular mountaineering tourism and science destination in the 2010s. In 2018, 807 climbers summited Mount Everest, which is a popular mountaineering goal. This year is noted for an especially long weather window of 11 days straight of calm, which reduced crowding at the high base camps. With over 800 reaching the top, it was the highest amount ever to reach the top in recorded history, besting the previous year by over 150 summitings.
Of the twenty-five men hit by the falling ice, sixteen were killed, all of them Nepalis working for guided climbing teams.