KATHMANDU, Nepal–The death toll in the avalanche that took place near Mount Everest Base Camp on Friday morning has reached to 12, authorities said.
Among 12 dead bodies, 11 have been recovered while one dead body is still to be retrieved due to bad weather.
Dipendra Poudel of Trekking and Mountaineering Section under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) confirmed that all the deceased were Nepali mountain guides.
“Around 25 persons were swept away by the avalanche. 12 bodies have been recovered, we have rescued eight alive,” Poudel said.
According to him, currently, a Simrik Air chopper is airlifting the bodies and injured mountaineers.
Krishna Lamsal, under secretary at the Ministry told liaisons officers, personnel of Nepal Army and Armed Police Force as well as guides from Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA) and icefall doctors are involved in rescue operations.
Earlier talking to Nepal Mountain Focus, Lamsal informed that fifteen climbers were heading towards the first camp (camp 1) from the Everest Base Camp in Solukhumbu region when the incident occurred.