KATHMANDU, Oct 8: Two climbers including a Nepali climber lost their lives, and another two were missing after an avalanche struck Shishapangma, the 14th-highest mountain in the world on Saturday.
American climber Anna Gutu and her guide Mingmar Sherpa of Elite Exped were confirmed dead by those at Shishapangma base camp. Gutu was aiming to become the first American woman to complete all 14 mountains above 8,000-meter of height.
World record climber Sherpa missing in avalanche
On the other hand, Seven Summit Trek’s Tenjen Sherpa (Lama), who recently completed all 14 8,000-meter mountains in three months, is missing with his client Gina Marie.
Both Marie and Gutu were bidding to become the first American woman to complete the ascent of all 14 peaks higher than 8000 meters.
A ground-based rescue operation is underway to locate the missing individuals, while expedition agencies are in the process of seeking permission from the Chinese government to deploy helicopters from Nepal.
According to reports, the avalanche occurred around 7,800 meters. A number of climbers were injured in the avalanche.
