Google executive among dead Everest climbers
Kathmandu (AFP) - Google executive Dan Fredinburg was one of the climbers to have been confirmed as having been killed in the Everest avalanche.
Experienced mountaineers said panic erupted at base camp, which has been "severely damaged", while one described the avalanche as "huge".
"Those who are able are walking down. Others are being airlifted," said Tulsi Gautam of Nepal's tourism department which issues permits to climb the world's highest mountain.
George Foulsham, a Singapore-based marine biologist, described the moment that the disaster struck.
"I was outside, saw a white 50-storey building of white come at me. I ran and it just flattened me," he told AFP.
"I tried to get up and it flattened me again. I couldn't breathe, I thought I was dead. When I finally stood up, I couldn't believe it passed me over and I was almost untouched.
"I saved for years to climb Everest. It feels like the mountain is saying it's not meant to be climbed for now. Too much of a coincidence to see this twice in two years."
Nepal and the rest of the Himalayas are particularly prone to earthquakes because of the collision of the Indian and Eurasia plates.
