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Deadliest Everest Avalanche in History Kills at Least 13

Deadliest Everest Avalanche in History Kills at Least 13

In this May 18, 2013, file photo released by mountain guide Adrian Ballinger of Alpenglow Expeditions, climbers make their way to the summit of Mount Everest, in the Khumbu region of the Nepal Himalayas. An avalanche swept down a climbing route on Mount Everest early Friday, April 18, killing at least 13 Nepalese guides and leaving three missing in the deadliest disaster on the world's highest peak. (AP Photo/Alpenglow Expeditions, Adrian Ballinger) AP

By Chris Caesar

Less than a minute to read

The deadliest avalanche in Mt. Everest’s history claimed the lives of at least 13 Nepalese climbers early Friday night, with rescue teams continuing to search for as many as seven who remain missing on the world’s highest mountain .

Three others were injured.

The rush of snow hit the team of about 50 mountaineers — mostly local Sherpa guides — around 6:45 a.m. local time, just below 21,000 feet in an area nicknamed “popcorn field’’ by climbers.

The death toll exceeds that of the climb’s previous deadliest disaster in 1996, when a May snowstorm killed eight.

Last year more than 500 people reached the peak’s elusive summit.

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