\n
Ten years ago, an avalanche on Everest killed 16 Nepali guides and shone a spotlight on the dangers they face to let high-paying foreign clients reach their dreams – Copyright AFP –<\/small><\/em><\/p>\nPaavan MATHEMA<\/em><\/p>\nTen years ago, Nepali mountain guide Dawa Tashi Sherpa was fighting for his life after being hit by an avalanche on Everest which was then the deadliest disaster on the world\u2019s highest mountain.<\/p>\n
The accident, which killed 16 Nepali guides on April 18, 2014, shone a spotlight on the huge dangers they face to let high-paying foreign clients reach their dreams.<\/p>\n
Without their critical work to carve out climbing routes, fix ropes, repair ladders and carry heavy gear up the mountain, few foreign visitors could make it to the daunting peak\u2019s top.<\/p>\n
A decade ago, a wall of snow barrelled through the Nepali guides as they heaved heavy kit up the treacherous high-altitude Khumbu icefall in the freezing dark.<\/p>\n
The force of the avalanche tossed Dawa Tashi about 10 metres (33 feet) down, injuring his rib cage, left shoulder blade and nose.<\/p>\n
Dawa Tashi, then aged 22, recalled his friends who died. Three of their bodies were never recovered.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was lucky to survive,\u201d he told AFP. \u201cIn the hospital, whenever I tried to sleep, they would appear in front of my eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The disaster led to protests for improved benefits and conditions for the guides, and an unprecedented shutdown on the peak for a season.<\/p>\n
\u2013 \u2018Tipping point\u2019 \u2013<\/p>\n
It sparked a debate about compensation for the families of injured or killed Nepali guides and mountain workers.<\/p>\n
Many are forced to rely on the charity of Western climbers \u2014 despite being employed by expedition companies and being fundamental to the multimillion-dollar industry\u2019s success.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was very difficult back then,\u201d said Nima Doma Sherpa, who lost her husband Tsering Onchu, 33, in the avalanche.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat can you do when the main pillar of your house is not there? The children were small, and I was worried how I will educate them and how we will sustain ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
The government reaps hefty revenues from the lucrative climbing industry \u2014 in the last season in 2023, it earned more than $5 million from Everest fees alone.<\/p>\n
Soon after the 2014 accident, it pledged a meagre $400 to the families of those killed to cover funeral expenses.<\/p>\n
The offer was rejected by angry Nepalis, whose families received only $10,000 then in life insurance.<\/p>\n
The resulting furious dispute, with Nepalis clamouring for better death and injury benefits from the government, saw days of tension at the base camp.<\/p>\n
Sherpa guides, grief-stricken over the deaths of their colleagues, threatened to boycott climbing, throwing mountaineers\u2019 plans into disarray and cancelling the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a tipping point for young Sherpas who were frustrated,\u201d said Sumit Joshi of expedition operator Himalayan Ascent, who lost three guides from his team in the avalanche that year.<\/p>\n
Since then, his Everest teams have not climbed on the anniversary date.<\/p>\n
\u201cTen years on, there is an improvement in their working conditions and the respect that they command,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013 Safety standards needed \u2013<\/p>\n
In 2014, the protesters at Everest base camp made several demands.<\/p>\n
They included an improvement in insurance payouts and a relief fund from mountain royalties.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were advocating for the Nepali climbers, ensuring they can get as much benefit as possible,\u201d said Ang Tshering Sherpa who headed the Nepal Mountaineering Association at the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut not all demands could be met as there were limitations.\u201d<\/p>\n
The insurance payout was increased by 50 percent to 1.5 million Nepali rupees ($11,250) if someone is killed.<\/p>\n
Helicopters are now allowed to fly in supplies to higher camps, decreasing the number of trips Nepalis make across the treacherous Khumbu icefall.<\/p>\n
Nepali companies have displaced foreign operators to bring in the majority of climbers, and pay and conditions have improved for guides at larger firms.<\/p>\n
But, guide Mingma G Sherpa said, little else has changed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey protested, but it was limited to the base camp,\u201d he said. \u201cThe main thing is that the government policies are still not good\u2026 we really need to set a standard for climbers to make the mountains safer\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u2013 \u2018Wives don\u2019t agree\u2019 \u2013<\/p>\n
In 2015, a powerful earthquake triggered an avalanche that killed 18 people at Everest\u2019s base camp before the climbing season began.<\/p>\n
Last year\u2019s season started with the death of three Nepali climbers carrying expedition supplies, after they were hit by glacial ice fall and swept into a crevasse.<\/p>\n
Mingma G Sherpa said many local guides have quit the industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe number of Sherpas has gone down significantly. Now companies have to go look for Sherpas. In the past, Sherpas would have to go around looking for work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to go to climb because we know the environment there, but the family members don\u2019t want to send. The mothers and wives don\u2019t agree.\u201d<\/p>\n
Survivor Dawa Tashi, who began trekking when he was just 11, still guides climbers and returned to Everest in 2021.<\/p>\n
He is preparing to guide six Americans up the 6,461-metre-tall central Mera peak.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were improvements after the disaster, but it is not enough,\u201d he said, pointing to the $11,000 fee each foreigner pays to the government to climb Everest.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government\u2026 should make a fund to safeguard the manpower,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe clients would also happily pay it, knowing that it will be used to take care of their team.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Nepalis demand safeguards a decade after deadly Everest disaster
\n
#Nepalis #demand #safeguards #decade #deadly #Everest #disaster<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ten years ago, an avalanche on Everest killed 16 Nepali guides and shone a spotlight…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3281,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[465,2050,2048,929,2051,2047,2049],"yoast_head":"\n
Nepalis demand safeguards a decade after deadly Everest disaster - International Pulse<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=3280\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nepalis demand safeguards a decade after deadly Everest disaster - International Pulse\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ten years ago, an avalanche on Everest killed 16 Nepali guides and shone a spotlight...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=3280\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"International Pulse\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-04-15T05:01:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=3280\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=3280\",\"name\":\"Nepalis demand safeguards a decade after deadly Everest disaster - International Pulse\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-15T05:01:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-15T05:01:15+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/#\/schema\/person\/d507bf8682a9ef7e3ad7a69d9db5e1c3\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=3280#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=3280\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=3280#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Nepalis demand safeguards a decade after deadly Everest disaster\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/\",\"name\":\"International Pulse\",\"description\":\"There's a different sound here\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/#\/schema\/person\/d507bf8682a9ef7e3ad7a69d9db5e1c3\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f8e3f392738821708fe4235b6ffa7215?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f8e3f392738821708fe4235b6ffa7215?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/demo6.aiwalls.com\/automatic-news\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Nepalis demand safeguards a decade after deadly Everest disaster - International Pulse","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=3280","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Nepalis demand safeguards a decade after deadly Everest disaster - International Pulse","og_description":"Ten years ago, an avalanche on Everest killed 16 Nepali guides and shone a spotlight...","og_url":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=3280","og_site_name":"International Pulse","article_published_time":"2024-04-15T05:01:15+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=3280","url":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=3280","name":"Nepalis demand safeguards a decade after deadly Everest disaster - International Pulse","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-04-15T05:01:15+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-15T05:01:15+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/#\/schema\/person\/d507bf8682a9ef7e3ad7a69d9db5e1c3"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=3280#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=3280"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=3280#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Nepalis demand safeguards a decade after deadly Everest disaster"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/#website","url":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/","name":"International Pulse","description":"There's a different sound here","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/#\/schema\/person\/d507bf8682a9ef7e3ad7a69d9db5e1c3","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f8e3f392738821708fe4235b6ffa7215?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f8e3f392738821708fe4235b6ffa7215?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/demo6.aiwalls.com\/automatic-news"],"url":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?author=1"}]}},"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/af033788ee5f5d7a4d3f691a4964a887249ec098-768x576.jpg",768,576,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/af033788ee5f5d7a4d3f691a4964a887249ec098-768x576-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/af033788ee5f5d7a4d3f691a4964a887249ec098-768x576-300x225.jpg",300,225,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/af033788ee5f5d7a4d3f691a4964a887249ec098-768x576.jpg",640,480,false],"large":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/af033788ee5f5d7a4d3f691a4964a887249ec098-768x576.jpg",640,480,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/af033788ee5f5d7a4d3f691a4964a887249ec098-768x576.jpg",768,576,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/af033788ee5f5d7a4d3f691a4964a887249ec098-768x576.jpg",768,576,false],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/af033788ee5f5d7a4d3f691a4964a887249ec098-768x576.jpg",768,576,false],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/af033788ee5f5d7a4d3f691a4964a887249ec098-768x576-768x500.jpg",768,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/af033788ee5f5d7a4d3f691a4964a887249ec098-768x576.jpg",768,576,false],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/af033788ee5f5d7a4d3f691a4964a887249ec098-768x576-540x340.jpg",540,340,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/af033788ee5f5d7a4d3f691a4964a887249ec098-768x576-400x250.jpg",400,250,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?author=1"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?cat=7\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>","tag_info":"Stories","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3280"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3280"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3280\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}