WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Thee Americans, including a base camp doctor, are among those killed by the avalanche that occurred on Mount Everest after Nepal was hit by a major earthquake on Saturday.
"It is with deep sorrow and profound grief that we can confirm the loss of our Everest/Lhotse base camp doctor, Marisa Eve Girawong. Eve perished in the aftermath of the avalanche that struck the base camp area following the devastating Nepal earthquake…" the Seattle-based Madison Mountaineering guide service said in a dispatch issued on Saturday.
"It is with the greatest sorrow that we report the death of one of our Everest team members, Daniel Fredinburg. Two other team members have non-life threatening injuries, as a result of the avalanche that struck base camp during the earthquake and its aftershocks," Jagged Globe said in a Saturday statement.
The third victim is Tom Taplin, a 61-year-old filmmaker who was making a documentary about the Mount Everest base camp when the avalanche hit. His death has been confirmed to several US news channels by his wife Cory Freyer.
The US State Department has reportedly confirmed that 3 Americans have died on Mount Everest, but did not release their identities.
The US Embassy in Kathmandu issued a statement on Saturday, urging anyone looking for a US citizen in Nepal to contact its emergencies services immediately.
The quake occurred about 82 kilometres (51 miles) northwest of Kathmandu, triggering avalanches on Mount Everest, which is located about 160 kilometres (100 miles) east of Nepal's capital.
On Sunday, a spokesperson for India's Defense Ministry said that 19 bodies have so far been recovered from Mount Everest.
