Palden Nyima
The Telegraph
June 2, 2015
China helped evacuate 470 climbers from 32 countries stranded on the northern slop of Qomolangma and nearby areas after Nepal earthquake.
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China evacuated 470 climbers stranded in the Tibet autonomous region after a magnitude 7.9 earthquake hit neighbouring Nepal, authorities said.
The climbers stranded on the northern slope of Qomolangma, known as Mount Everest in the West, and its nearby areas, were safely evacuated and 346 of them had left the region, they said.
When the quake hit Nepal on April 25, the 470 climbers from 32 countries were among many scattered across the north slope of Qomolangma, and on Mount Cho Oyu and Mount Shishapangma nearby. Of the 470 climbers, 207 were Sherpa mountain guides from Nepal.
The government of Tibet made a quick response by calling the climbers’ camps and cancelling climbing plans.
“In the interests of safety and respect to those who have lost their lives in the earthquake, the spring climbing plans were cancelled by the China Mountaineering Association and the Tibet Mountaineering Association,” said Sun Yongping, Communist Party chief of the Tibet Sports Bureau.
“Even though it means big losses, the mountaineering associations have decided to suspend climbing permits for three years,” Mr Sun said.
The climbers on Qomolangma were refunded £320 each and the climbers on Mount Cho Oyu and Mount Shishapangma were given £195. The regional government has paid all the expenses to return the 207 Nepalese mountain guides home.
This year, China and Nepal commemorate the 60th anniversary of China-Nepal diplomatic relations, and mark the 10th anniversary of China-Nepal friendship mountaineering.
Hari Prasad Bashyal, consul general of Nepal in Lhasa, said the rescue and relief operations conducted by Tibetan authorities at Qomolangma and in the surrounding areas of Nepal saved the lives of hundreds of Nepalese people.
Mr Bashyal said tourism was a big industry in Tibet and Nepal, and the recent earthquake would have a huge impact on the entire economy of Nepal.
“On behalf of the government of Nepal, and myself, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the People’s Republic of China, the government of the Tibet autonomous region, and to all the Chinese people for sharing the grief of the Nepalese people,” Mr Bashyal said.
Mingma Gelu, a 26-year- old Sherpa and director of 7 Summits-Adventure, who had conquered Qomolangma eight times, said: “We are happy that the Chinese government has borne all the travel expenses, including air tickets to Nepal.”
Dendi Sherpa, of Kobler & Partner Expeditions, said he was in Camp 2 at an altitude of 21,000ft when the quake hit. The guide, who has climbed Qomolangma five times, only heard the sound of avalanches, but did not see any rocks falling. The 32-year-old said he would return to the northern slope next year.
