(Newswire.net — April 27, 2015) — Nepal – The climbers’ base camp at Mount Everest was hit by an avalanche triggered by a large 7.9 earthquake in Nepal. A climber that managed to take cover in a tent captured the horrifying moment on camera as tons of snow exploded over the campsite.
German climber Jost Kobusch’s video, posted on YouTube, reveals the fear the climbers experienced when they didn’t know if they going to survive the avalanche.
At the start of the clip, Kobusch can be heard saying, “The ground is shaking.” At that moment, it was unclear if the tremor was due to earthquake or because a huge mass of snow tumbling down the mountain. The German climber than laughed a bit nervously, which revealed that he understood it could be an overture to something horrific.
As soon as they realize what is going to happen, the climbers start yelling and trying to warn others of the imminent avalanche. Caught off guard, people tried to find some cover, but the wall of snow was quick and brutal, covering the camp within seconds.
Kobush and another man managed to enter the tent in front of them and huddled in disbelief. They didn’t know what to expect. The camera was still rolling, capturing fast breathing and cursing.
Kobush and his climber friend were among the lucky ones that survived that day. The avalanche killed about 20 people on the moountain and injured dozens of others. Rescue teams responded quickly, however, they couldn’t reach all camps due to a bad weather, aftershocks and the fact that some 100 climbers were cut off from the Base Camp due to the collapsed Icefall route, Russia Today reported.
A new 6.7-magnitude aftershock hit Nepal at 07:09 GMT on Sunday, which unleashed another series of avalanches in the Himalayas.
Ruptly managed to obtain other footage that shows terrific event from a different perspective, and published helmet camera footage of Belgian climber Jelle Veyt, who also was at the Base Camp, located at an altitude of 5,364 metres (17,598 ft), when the avalanche smashed through it.
Just before he ran for his life, the AP photographer managed to capture the wall of snow storming towards him.
The death toll of the earthquake exceeds 3,000, while more than 6,200 have been injured. Hundreds more are still missing.
On Sunday, Russian, American and Canadian aircraft flew out with rescue teams onboard. Sweden has pledged $1.5 million in aid, with Canada vowing to send $5 million, RT reported.
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