Mingma G and the injured sherpas have made it to Base Camp, apparently on their own. This is astonishing, considering the severity of Mingma G’s accident.
“[He] was revived with CPR after falling 160m and nearly missing a big rock, but he is bloody strong and he slowly managed to make it back to Base Camp on his own feet,” Pakistani climbers Sirbaz Khan and Naila Kiani told their home team coordinator, Samson Sharaf.
They added that Mingma G is stable for now. But he needs to get to the hospital right away to ensure that the head injury has not caused internal bleeding, which can be fatal. The Pakistanis noted that the head injury resulted in a “very bloodied nose.”
The Pakistanis and Mingma G only reached Base Camp this evening. Apparently, Khan also took part in rescue efforts earlier today. They reported bad weather and high avalanche risk.
Meanwhile, the crew at Imagine Nepal’s headquarters in Kathmandu is frantically organizing an evacuation. There is no news about whether Nepalese Helicopters might be allowed to cross the Tibetan border, but Imagine Nepal has arranged for a helicopter to pick up the entire team right at the border. From there, they will fly directly to Kathmandu and convey Mingma G immediately to the hospital.
Karma Geljen also safe
China’s Chinhua News has reported that Karma Geljen Sherpa, who was seriously injured, is back in Base Camp and “out of danger.” They also declared Tenjen Sherpa and Gina Marie Rzucidlo as lost. The pair were not found under the avalanche debris, despite all efforts.
Xinhua also noted that all activity in the mountain has halted due to unstable snow conditions. A guided Seven Summit Treks team reached the mountain yesterday, preparing to go for the summit right away, but stopped in Base Camp once they heard of the avalanches.
After the disaster, the China Tibet Mountaineering Association (CTMA) sent 20 Tibetan climbers to help in rescue efforts. It also brought two doctors to Base Camp.
What happened?
Many disturbing questions remain about yesterday’s summit push: the conditions in which it was launched, the expedition management, and most of all, why some continued to push for the summit after the first avalanche struck, killing Anna Gutu and Migmar Sherpa.
That first slide fell between 7,600 and 7,800m, two hours before the second slide, which caught Gina Rzucidlo, Tenjen Lama, and other sherpas.
“A total of 52 climbers were carrying out summit push when the avalanches hit,” the CTMA liaison officer told Xinhua News.
They were from the United States, Britain, Romania, Albania, Italy, Japan, Pakistan, and other countries.
None of the climbers on that summit push has spoken publicly since the accident. Nor have the outfitters issued any official statements.
