A helicopter flies with the rescue team in front of the Annapurna mountain range in Pokhara, some 200 km west of Kathmandu on January 22, 2020. - Rescuers in the search for four South Korean trekkers and three Nepalis said on January 21 there was little hope of finding them alive after they were swept away and buried by an avalanche in the Himalayas.
An official in Nepali mountaineering said on Wednesday, April 12, that three Sherpa climbers had gone missing after falling into a narrow crevasse on a dangerous part of Mount Everest above the base camp.
As the avalanche impacted the most popular Southeast Ridge path to the top of the supposedly highest peak in the world, the sherpas are said to be trapped in a gap 50m (164ft) deep.
Missing Climbers
The Himalayan Times reported that authorities at the base camp identified the three guides as Pemba Tenzing Sherpa, Lakpa Rita Sherpa, and Dachhiri Sherpa, all of whom were from the Thame village in Khumbu.
The three were transporting climbing equipment for clients when they were trapped somewhere between Base Camp and Camp I on the lower reaches of the mountain. A spokesperson with the tourist department confirmed that the three hikers were on an adventure organized by the company Imagine Nepal Treks.
According to a Reuters report, Yubaraj Khatiwada, an official in Nepal's tourist department, said, "A block of snow fell and buried them."
'Unlikely to be Found'
The official claimed a helicopter was sent to look for the sherpas who were likely buried in the crevasse. As of yet, no ground search crew has been successful in finding them.
Search efforts for the three missing climbers were deemed hopeless by officials later on Wednesday.
After a second round of aircraft searches failed to find them on Wednesday afternoon, search activities had to be called off. An officer at base camp stated, "Aerial searches have been abandoned because of poor weather this afternoon."
Amid the Peak Season
As per reports, including from The Independent, this is the first major incident to occur on Mount Everest this climbing season. Climbers flock to Everest Base Camp between March and May every year because of its convenient location at a height of around 5,350m (17,552ft).
Camp I, situated about 6,050m (19,850ft) in altitude, is set up on the other side of the dangerous Khumbu Icefall, the first significant physical obstacle on the path to the top.
At the peak of the season, hundreds of climbers from all over the world, as well as Nepal, make the journey to the mountain in an effort to scale its 8,849m (29,032ft) summit.
Since Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary became the first to reach the summit in 1953, at least 300 climbers have lost their lives trying to reach the summit.
