An American mountaineer and his Nepali guide died in an avalanche on Mount Shishapangma in southwest China’s Tibet, a tour company told AFP on Sunday (8/10). The incident also left two people still missing and one person seriously injured.
Mount Shishapangma, one of the highest mountains in the world with a height of 8,027 meters above sea level is in China.
The crash occurred Saturday afternoon “at an altitude of between 7,600 and 8,000 meters”, China’s state news agency Xinhua said, citing the Tibetan Sports Bureau, which confirmed the death toll.
Mingma David Sherpa of Elite Exped, which managed the expedition, told AFP that Anna Gutu, a US mountaineer, had died.
Water forms beneath the Khumbu glacier in Nepal as the ice melts. (Photo: Alex Treadway/ICIMOD via REUTERS)
“We received a report that Anna and her guide were hit by an avalanche yesterday, their bodies have been found,” he said.
“There are also other climbers missing and rescue efforts are underway,” he said, adding that efforts were complicated. The reason is that “helicopters cannot be used” on the mountain because of China’s restriction policy.
Tashi Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks identified the missing US climber as Gina Marie Rzucidlo and her guide as Tenjin “Lama” Sherpa.
“Two avalanches hit the mountain yesterday, impacting several climbers. “There were injuries and two climbers from America (Gina Marie Rzucidlo) and our guide Tenjin were missing,” he said.
“Search efforts are underway.”
The two women are vying to become the first US women to climb 14 peaks over 8,000 meters, according to Nepal’s English-language newspaper The Himalayan Times.
All mountaineering activities on Mount Shishapangma were suspended, Xinhua said. (ah/ft)