Fears for 65 Britons in quake
DOZENS of British climbers and holidaymakers were feared missing yesterday as the death toll for the devastating Nepal earthquake reached 2,500.
At least 65 Britons – including at least six from Scotland – were unaccounted for as aftershocks set off avalanches on Everest, sparking concern for the hundreds left stranded on the world’s highest mountain.
Everest suffered its deadliest-ever day on Saturday when up to 18 people were killed and more than 60 injured when the 7.8-magnitude quake set off a huge avalanche.
Survivors last night described running for their lives as a ‘tsunami’ of snow and ice descended on Base Camp. Around 1,000 people, 400 of them foreigners, were on Everest at the time.
Google executive Daniel Fredinburg, 33, medic Marisa Eve Girawong, 28, and documentary-maker Tom Taplin, 61, were among the dead as were Nepali workers and sherpas.
AT LEAST 65 British climbers and holi day-makers were f eared missing yesterday as the death toll i n the Nepal earthquake reached 2,500.
On Everest, survivors described running for their lives as a ‘tsunami’ of snow and ice triggered by tremors descended on Base Camp.
Up to 18 were killed and more than 60 injured when the 7.8-magnitude quake set off a huge avalanche on the world’s highest peak.
Survivors described seeing tents with climbers still inside picked up and tossed across the camp before crashing down into rocks and ice.
As the freezing cascade tore down the mountainside in a terrifying explosion of snow and ice, a photographer captured the dramatic moment it headed straight for the camp at 17,700ft (5,380m).
Aftershocks set off a series of further avalanches, prompting fears for the Britons among the hundreds of climbers left stranded by the tonnes of debris and ice blocking their routes.
In Kathmandu and Pokhara, bodies lay among the rubble as buildings were reduced to matchsticks and tent cities were erected to provide shelter for the hundreds of thousands left homeless.
Rescuers dug victims out from the ruins of collapsed buildings – some with their bare hands – while aid agencies warned of a humanitarian disaster and said the death toll could be far higher in more remote areas.
At least 65 Britons across the region were unaccounted for last night. Everest suffered its deadliest ever day on Saturday when the avalanche struck.
Google executive Daniel Fredinburg, 33, medic Marisa Eve Girawong, 28, and documentary-maker Tom Taplin, 61, were among the dead, as were several Nepali workers and sherpas.
Around 1,000 people, including 400 foreigners were believed to have been on Mount Everest when the quake struck.
Fears grew for their safety as survivors described how avalanches had left them stranded on the mountain, with their descent paths blocked by debris.
Base Camp was said to have borne the worst of the avalanche’s impact and mountaineer Alex Gaven tweeted that it looked like it had been hit by a ‘nuclear blast’. Others described seeing ‘car-sized boulders’ and a ‘50- storey building of white’ as the avalanche thundered towards them.
The 7.8-magnitude quake struck on Saturday and a 6.7-magnitude aftershock hit yesterday, leaving survivors afraid to return home. Landslides hampered rescue efforts and hospitals warned they could not cope with treating the injured.
Although Nepal bore the brunt of the death toll, the quake claimed lives in India, Tibet and Bangladesh.
Nepal is one of the world’s poorest countries and an international appeal began for aid, with Britain pledging £5million.
David Cameron said the RAF would fly supplies into the region today after the UK sent search and rescue teams and medics yesterday.
British climber Nick Talbot, who was in the same group as Google executive Mr Fredinburg, told of the terrifying moment the avalanche hit ‘like a tsunami’.
‘I saw this wall of snow and ice coming. I ran away. I thought, “There is no chance I can get away”. I just had my socks on.
‘It knocked me into the rocks. I got up and it knocked me over again.’
Mr Talbot, 39, from County Durham, was attempting to become the first climber with cystic fibrosis to make the ascent. He suffered cracked ribs and was evacuated by helicopter.
His US campmate Mr Fredinburg suffered fatal head injuries. US filmmaker Mr Taplin, who also died was making a documentary about Base Camp. His wife Corey Fryer said he died ‘doing what he loved’.
Nepali cook Bhim Bahadur Khatari described digging himself out of the avalanche, saying: ‘A huge wall of snow just piled on me.
‘I managed to dig out of what could easily have been my grave. I wiggled and used my hands as claws to dig as much as I could. I was suffocating, I could not breathe. But I knew I had to survive.’ The International Red Cross and Google both launched websites to help families searching for news of the missing.
Among the 65 Britons still feared missing are a number of Scots including Mitchell Carpenter, 23, originally from Aberdeen; Ross Smith, 22, from Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbrightshire; Ann Hardie, 47, from Kirkcaldy, Fife; Lynda Davis, 50, from Perth and Matthew Thorne, 36, from Stirling. Others feared missing have made contact with their families, including Archie Reiney, 18, from Glasgow, who was volunteering in Nepal and James Grieve, 52, an engineer originally from Kinross, who said he was ‘lucky to survive’ after being trapped following the Everest avalanche. Aberdeen University students Joe Feeney and Calum Henderson, both 21, called home to tell their parents they were safe and sheltering in a local tea house.
Alexandra Aitken, the daughter of former Conservative MP Jonathan Aitken, was in Nepal but has made contact with her family to say she was unhurt.
Peter Hillary, the son of Everest pioneer Sir Edmund Hillary, was trekking near the peak when the
‘I knew I had to survive’
quake struck but was also unharmed. A climber at Camp 1, named only as Sean, gave a graphic description of the terrifying situation faced by those stranded. In a series of messages relayed through a climbing group on Twitter, he said: ‘It’s so unstable now that rock fall and minor avalanches occur consistently. The circumstances we face are dire. As I lie here writing this, the ground is moving beneath me. My heart leaps every time the earth moves. I can’t get used to it.’
Meanwhile chaos broke out in Kathmandu as passengers attempted to fight their way into the international airport in a bid to leave the country. In the capital, centuries of history were destroyed in minutes when the quake damaged the Dharahara Tower and historic temples in Durbar Square. Oxfam, Christian Aid, Save the Children, the British Red Cross and Plan International UK have all launched appeals and are providing assistance.
Families can contact the Foreign Office on 0207 008 0000.