An avalanche on Mount Everest left three Tibetan herders and an Australian tourist dead on Wednesday.
According to Xinhua News Agency, the four tourists were given access to an area usually sealed off to the public, after tourist agency Tibet Londa International pulled some strings to organize a trip. The tourists were members of a group of 10, which included the three herders who worked as porters, two cooks and a tour guide, the Associated Press reported. When they entered the area, an avalanche suddenly descended upon them, killing the Australian and three local herders.
The 60-year-old man was from southern Australia, according to the Australian Embassy who confirmed the passing of the four explorers on Wednesday. The Australian reportedly died from altitude sickness, old age and poor health. The Embassy added that officials from the consulate in Beijing were trying to get a hold of the man's family to give information and help.
The report from Xinhua said that local authorities sent rescue crews to the restricted area after they got word of some folks in distress.
According to CCTV, 154 people who were grounded as a result of the avalanche were rescued on Tuesday. At Everest Base camp, 86 tourists, all of them Chinese except 13, were stranded at 17,000 feet. Some were trapped at the Rongbuk Monastery located nearby because of the intense snowfall. No casualties were reported from that group, and rescue crews managed to get the tourists out unscathed.
