BUDDHIST monks have cremated the remains of Sherpa guides who were buried in the deadliest avalanche to hit Mount Everest, a disaster that has prompted calls for a climbing boycott by Nepal’s ethnic Sherpa community.
At least 13 Sherpas were killed when a block of ice tore loose from the mountain and triggered a cascade that ripped through teams of guides hauling gear. Three Sherpas missing in Friday’s avalanche are presumed dead.
“Right now, I can’t even think of going back to the mountain,” said Tashi Dorje, whose cousin was killed. “We have not just lost our family members, but it is a loss for the whole mountaineering community and the country.”
Heartbreaking ... hundreds of Nepalis gathered in Kathmandu to mourn the loss of Sherpa climbers killed in a deadly Everest avalanche. Picture: AP Source: AP
The avalanche came just as climbing was to begin in earnest, with mountaineers set to begin moving above base camp and slowly acclimatising to the altitude on the world’s highest mountain. Most attempts to reach the 8,850-metre summit occur in mid-May, when weather is at its most favourable.
All of the victims were from Nepal’s ethnic Sherpa community, which relies heavily on the country’s alpine trekking and climbing industry, with many making a living as climbing guides and others catering to foreign visitors by providing restaurants, equipment or transportation.
In the wake of the avalanche, the Sherpas have expressed anger that there has not been a bigger response from Nepal’s government, which profits from the permit fees charged to the climbing expeditions.
Tshering said there were about 400 foreign climbers from 39 expedition teams on the mountain and equal number of Sherpas guides, along with many more support staff such as cooks, cleaners and porters in the base camp.
A meeting was held at the Everest Base Camp on Sunday night at which the Sherpas and other support staff listed 13 demands and said they would halt climbing for seven days until the government agreed to meet them.
Hundreds of people also lined the streets of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, on Monday as the bodies of six of the victims were driven in open trucks decorated with Buddhist flags.
During the cremation ceremony, dozens of nuns chanted for the victims’ souls to be released as the bodies were covered in pine branches. A daughter of one of the climbers fainted and was taken to the hospital.
While the work on Everest is dangerous, it has also become the most sought-after work for many Sherpas. A top high-altitude guide can earn $US6,000 ($6423) in a three-month climbing season, nearly 10 times Nepal’s $US700 average annual salary.
Last rites ... family members perform final rituals at the funeral pyre of a Mount Everest avalanche victim in Kathmandu. Picture: AFP Source: AFP
The government has announced an emergency aid of 40,000 rupees ($436) for the families of the deceased climbers, but the Sherpas are demanding better treatment.
Respect ... hundreds of people lined the streets of Kathmandu on Monday as the bodies of six of the victims were driven in open trucks decorated with Buddhist flags. Picture: AP Source: AP
The “Sherpa guides are heating up, emotions are running wild and demands are being made to the government to share the wealth with the Sherpa people,” said a blog post by Tim and Becky Rippel. Tim Rippel, an experienced Himalayan guide and owner of the Canada-based guiding company Peak Freaks, was at base camp when the avalanche happened.
The post said many Sherpas were frustrated by their tiny share of the millions of dollars that flow into Nepal as a result of the climbing industry.
“Things are getting very complicated and there is a lot of tension here and it’s growing,” the Rippels wrote, adding of the Sherpas: “They are our family, our brothers and sisters and the muscle on Everest. We follow their lead, we are guests here.”
The Sherpas want the minimum insurance payment for those killed on Everest to be doubled to two million rupees, and a portion of the climbing fee charged by the government to be reserved for a relief fund. They also want the government to build a monument in the capital in memory of those killed in the avalanche.
On Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Prakash Man Singh said the government has been working to help the Sherpas since the rescue began.
Grieving ... the mother of Phurtemba Sherpa (second right), a victim of the Everest avalanche, and family members light oil lamps as they perform rituals at the Sherpa Monastery in Kathmandu. Picture: AFP Source: AFP
“We will do what we can, keeping with the standard practice to provide compensation,” he said.
Sherpa Pasang of the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association said they have handed over a list of demands to the government seeking one million rupees each for the families of dead, missing and injured Sherpa guides in immediate financial aid. They also want assurance that the government will bring regulations to protect them in the future.
“The government has made no big response even after a big tragedy like this. Until they hear our pleas we will continue to put pressure,” he said, adding they plan to meet top government officials later in the week.
Hundreds of people, both foreigners and Sherpas, have died trying to reach the summit, and about a quarter of the deaths occurred in avalanches, climbing officials say.
The previous worst disaster on Everest had been a fierce blizzard on May 11, 1996, that killed eight climbers, including famed mountaineer Rob Hall, and was memorialised in a book, “Into Thin Air,” by Jon Krakauer.
More than 4,000 climbers have reached the top of Everest since 1953, when the mountain was first conquered by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay.
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