ANKARA
At least 13 Nepalese guides have been killed while six climbers are still missing after a deadly avalanche on Mount Everest, according to Nepalese Officials.
Nepal's tourism ministry confirmed earlier that 12 bodies had been removed from the snow, but expected more to be trapped, making it the deadliest accident in eight years on the mountain.
Meanwhile two Sherpas have been taken by helicopter to hospitals in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. Sherpas are an ethnic group from the mountainous region of Nepal.
The Sherpas were preparing the summit route on the mountain ahead of the summer climbing season, which starts later this month the ministry said.
The avalanche occurred at around 6:45am local time (01:00 GMT) at an altitude of about 5,800 meters in an area known as the "popcorn field" which lies on the route into the treacherous Khumbu ice-fall, according to a statement on NepalMountaineering.org.
Mount Everest at 8,848 meters is the world's highest mountain and has been scaled by over 3,000 people since 1953 when Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first to successfully conquer the treacherous mountain.
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