Avalanche sweeps Everest; 4-5 believed buried

KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) — About five climbers are feared buried by an avalanche that swept the slopes of Mount Everest on Friday and hit a route used to assent the world’s highest peak, officials said.

The avalanche hit the area just below Camp 2 around 6:30 a.m. Friday, said Nepal Tourism Ministry official Madhu Sudan Burlakoti. Rescuers and fellow climbers at the base camp headed to the area to help. A helicopter was also sent from Katmandu.

Four or five climbers are believed to have been buried and more injured by the avalanche, said Ang Tshering of the Nepal Mountaineering Association. He said that the area where the avalanche occurred is nicknamed the “popcorn field,” which is just below Camp 2 at 6,400 meters (21,000 feet).

Hundreds of climbers, their guides and support guides had gathered at the base camp, gearing up for their final attempt to scale the 8,850-meter (29,035-foot) peak early next month when weather conditions get favorable. They have been setting up their camps at higher altitudes and guides fixing routes and ropes on the slopes ahead of the final ascent to the summit in May.

Nepal had earlier announced several steps this year to better manage the flow of climbers, minimize congestion and speed up rescue operations. The preparations included the dispatch of officials and security personnel to the base camp located at 5,300 meters (17,380 feet), where they would stay throughout the spring climbing season that ends in May.

More than 4,000 climbers have scaled the summit since 1953, when it was first conquered by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. Hundreds of others have died in the attempt.