There Was a Dramatic Rescue in Mount Everest’s Khumbu Icefall

There was a dramatic rescue in Mount Everest’s Khumbu Icefall in the early hours of Tuesday, May 5. Two climbers were airlifted to a hospital after an ice serac collapsed and buried them.

Outside was in Base Camp and listened to radio communications during the rescue and watched it unfold. Officials with Nepal’s Department of Tourism also released a statement providing further details of the accident and rescue.

The incident occurred at 5:45 A.M., as teams of climbers and guides were ascending through the glacier to make their first acclimitization round on the peak. More than 100 climbers and guides ventured into the glacier during the night, taking advantage of safer ice conditions caused by the cooler temperatures.

The two were crossing an area of the glacier that is several meters below the large serac that had previously delayed the climbing season on Mount Everest. According to the Department of Tourism, that serac did not cause the accident.

One of the injured is a 40-year-old climbing client from India named Nimish Kumar Singh who was part of an expedition led by Pioneer Expeditions.

The other is a veteran Nepali climbing guide named Pema Thenduk Sherpa. The 44-year is affectionately known within the Nepali guiding community by his nickname, “Black Yak.”

Pema Thanduk Sherpa has been working as a high-altitude guide since 2011 and has completed 34 successful ascents of peaks above 8,000 meters, including 12 climbs of Mount Everest. He was working with guiding outfitter Seven Summit Treks when the incident occurred.

The collapse triggered a massive response from safety personnel, helicopter pilots, and other climbing teams. By 6:15 A.M. helicopters had lifted off from Lukla airport, approximately 40 miles away.

On the icefall, climbers and safety personnel with outfitters Asian Treks and Seven Summit Treks helped the stricken climbers out of the ice and prepared them for airlift. A rescue helicopter completed the pickup and flew the two to a hospital in Kathmandu.

According to a statement from the Department of Tourism, both individuals are currently receiving medical care at HAMS hospital in Kathmandu and are stable and expected to recover. Sources at Seven Summit Treks told Outside that they are hopeful that Pema Thanduk Sherpa will be discharged from the hospital within 24 hours.

This is a developing story