Posted on 04/25/2015 6:27:43 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Climbers on Mount Everest ran for their lives on Saturday when a massive 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal and set off at least one avalanche. At least eight people died and more than two dozen were injured in the avalanche on the world's highest mountain, according to The Associated Press.
Jelle Veyt was just getting back to base camp when suddenly the earth "shook for a couple of seconds — badly," the Belgian climber told NBC News.
A sherpa just a few feet ahead turned and pointed behind him, Veyt recalled, saying he then turned around himself and saw a "huge cloud of snow" heading his way.
...
He managed to find the tent and crawl inside, where others were trying to hold up the walls as the snow continued to hit.
Veyt said he and his team were all safe — but now the injured are streaming into the camp.
"I'm seeing people coming in who got hit by flying ice, fell because of running away even critical people with broken legs, bleeding," he told NBC News. He said one man was carried in by eight men and that in total he'd seen between 10 and 20 injured himself.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
I beg your pardon, but the who the hell I am — is the person who started this thread.
And if you think I am spouting nonsense, then you are very much mistaken.
I apologize to you. It was directed at the 3 which followed your post.
Yeah, Some people think we should care more about rescuing people who deliberately engage in high-risk pointless behaviors mostly for their own adrenalin surges , rather than people who are just going about their everyday business.That mountain has something like a 100 bodies of people who thought climbing a tall rock was the way to prove what a great person they were. Me,I think a productive ,and hopefully happy and fulfilling life spent raising decent,moral children, and helping others is more praiseworthy.Explorers opening up new frontiers are also worthy of admiration.
You go right ahead.
They’ve put up with far worse in the past.
Hear hear! Good points.
But there are also sherpas carrying all their gear who were just up there making a living for their family.
You are correct, but they are doing it to support their families, not for the thrill of it...
They should be included in the “just trying to live a happy, productive life” group
Yet, another catastrophe, and there's MONEY to be made.
Yes. That worked SO well for Haiti, didn’t it?
Wondering if they started work on the tunnel beneath the mountain yet?
Just thinkin’ . . .
He managed to find the tent and crawl inside, where others were trying to hold up the walls as the snow continued to hit.
***
A tent can protect you from an avalanche?!
All I can figure is that this is what mountaineers are taught. My guess is that the idea is to hope for the tent to help preserve an air pocket.
Yes, I suppose it could create a bit of an air pocket as the tent is smushed in around you....
While an article about casualties on Mt. Everest may seem trivializing, FR already has a good thread about the direct damage with many heartbreaking photos, shown below. Tourism including mountain climbing is an important part of the economy for a number of third world countries. I wonder what the comparison would be between children’s lives saved because their parents earned money related to these climbs and those lost on this particular climb.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3282937/posts?page=117
Here is the mother of all image/photo sites, with already hundreds of photos and some maps.
Thank you.
Would ANYONE be surprised to hear some idiot in Hollywood or Washington try to tie the two together? Just a matter of time...MSNBC is probably working on such a story right now.
Oh, dear, prayers up for those people.
You are correct. Tourism is the lifeblood of Nepal contributing to about 40 percent of their GDP.
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