Search called off as Everest death toll reaches 13

Nepal yesterday called off the search for local guides still missing after the deadliest accident on Mount Everest killed 13 colleagues, as climbers recalled the terrifying moments when the avalanche hit.

Rescuers have retrieved the bodies of 13 sherpa guides and plucked another nine to safety since an ice and snow avalanche smashed into their expedition on Friday morning on the world’s highest peak.

Authorities have ruled out any hope of finding more survivors, and with bad weather hampering efforts they have now decided to end the search for the three guides thought still buried.

“We have been unable to identify the location of bodies and at this stage it is difficult to find them in the snow,” tourism ministry official Dipendra Paudel said.

The guides were among a large party that left Everest’s base camp before dawn, carrying tents, food and ropes to prepare routes for international clients before the main climbing season starts later this month.

The avalanche hit them at an altitude of about 5,800 metres (19,000 feet) in an area nicknamed the “popcorn field” due to ice boulders on the route, which leads into the treacherous Khumbu Icefall.

Dozens of guides were on the move when a huge block of ice broke off from a hanging glacier, before splitting into smaller chunks and barrelling down into the icefall, one of the most dangerous areas en route to the summit.

A guide on the mountain recalled how, moments after the avalanche struck, he and others spent hours digging through snow, pulling out bodies and rescuing injured colleagues. “We heard a roar and when we looked up we saw a massive ball of snow coming towards us,” said Namgyal Sherpa, who was climbing the icefall when the accident happened.

News of the accident sent shockwaves among the mountaineers, leaving some climbers and sherpas considering whether to continue with their expeditions.