Three Sherpa guides were swept down into the crevasses in Khumbu Icefall early Wednesday morning as a serac collapsed on the route triggering a massive avalanche, said Imagine Nepal Trek and Expedition.
“They were descending from Camp II after unloading expedition logistics,” Palden Sherpa of the company told Everest Chronicle. “The company is doing everything possible, and we will continue the search tomorrow,” he said.
The three missing are Lakpa Rita Sherpa, Pemba Tenjing Sherpa and Da Chhiri Sherpa, all seasoned climbers and Everest summiteers. Of them, Pemba has summited nine of the 14 peaks above 8,000m, and is 7 times Everest summiteer.
Rescue teams, members of Himalayan Rescue Association and Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), started aerial and long line search immediately after the incident was reported, but it yielded no results.
Imagine Nepal said they were not members of their rope fixing team. The company has been assigned to open route above Camp II for this year’s spring season. “They were members of our regular expedition,” said Palden.
The Department of Tourism, expedition regulatory body, also confirmed the incident. “An avalanche occurred between 3 to 4 am,” said Yuba Raj Khatiwada, Director at the Department of Tourism adding, “Sherpa guides are believed to have been washed into crevasses.”
Official at SPCC, the body responsible for fixing ladders over the crevasses of Khumbu Icefall, said the avalanche was triggered by a serac collapse. “The serac destroyed about 60 m section of the route which has been fixed by now,” said Tshering Sherpa, executive officer of SPCC.
This year, the Nepali mountains received snowfall only in March after a long spell of extremely dry winter throughout the country. “Fresh snow has not settled properly, which makes it tricky. The icefall doctors had tough time navigating the route through mounds of fresh snow,” said Tshering.
The late snowfall has massively delayed expeditions in Annapurna and Manaslu, which usually begins a month and half earlier than Everest. Teams have been waiting at the base camp for almost 3 weeks now. Some teams are planning summit push this week.
