The avalanche from Pumori on 25 April 2015

At 11:56 a.m. all hell broke loose. Exactly a year ago today, a magnitude 7,8 earthquake struck Nepal. About 9,000 people were killed, 23,000 were injured. However, these were only the victims registered by the government, it was probably more. Also on Mount Everest many people died on 25 April 2015. The quake triggered a huge avalanche on the nearby seven-thousander Pumori. It hit Everest Base Camp, 19 people lost their lives. On this anniversary of the disaster, climbers and the staff of the infirmary “Everest ER” gathered at the foot of the highest mountain on earth for a minute of silence – at 11:56 a.m.

“This was an opportunity to remember those who died, those who were injured and the many people who worked so hard to rescue and treat the 100 patients”, Rachel Tullet writes in the blog of Jagged Globe. An American climber from the team of the British organizer had died and two other team members had been injured in the avalanche. “We also remember the huge number of people affected across Nepal by the devastating earthquake, many of whom are still struggling to rebuild their lives”, Rachel continues.

Rural exodus could increase

Self-help (in the village of Kadambas) instead of waiting for help

I saw this with my own eyes during my visit in Sindhupalchowk District a month ago. People there are still living in shelters made of bamboo and corrugated iron. In no way could it be called reconstruction. People grumble about the government, they feel left in the lurch. “It is time that the money arrives that was promised to the people and should serve to ensure that they really can be at home in their villages again,” Ralf Dujmovits tells me. “As many developing countries, Nepal has already a problem with large rural exodus. This will continue, the villages will be deserted. This will harm entire Nepal which is depending on agriculture. It benefits no one if people migrate to the cities.” It will take Nepal “certainly ten years to recover from the earthquake,” says Ralf.

Reconstruction proceeds slowly

School in the village of Mailchaur

The hitherto only German who climbed all 14 eight-thousanders had visited Sindhupalchowk two weeks after the quake and had been shocked about the extent of damage. His emotional state has hardly changed in the last twelve months. “I’m especially worried about the children, because the reconstruction of the schools is proceeding very slowly,” says Ralf. “In most cases, nothing worth mentioning has happened. It is to be hoped now that building material reaches the villages, so that the schools finally can be rebuilt.”

Please continue to donate for “School up!”

Schoolchildren in Thulosirubari

Along with Ralf Dujmovits and Austrian top climber Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, I had initiated the donation campaign “School up!” to rebuild as soon as possible the school at the village of Thulosirubari that had been destroyed by the earthquake. So far we have collected more than one third of the required sum – thanks to your donations (!). The first of three construction phases is due to begin shortly, we are still waiting for the okay of the government in Kathmandu, hoping that they finally get their act together.

We need more donations for “School up” to finance also the second and third construction phase. Here again the bank account in Germany:

Recipient: Nepalhilfe Beilngries e.V.
Bank: Volksbank Bayern Mitte eG/Germany
IBAN: DE05 7216 0818 0004 6227 07
BIC/SWIFT-Code: GENODEF1INP
Intended purpose: Gerlinde and Ralf School

Please tell others as well! Thank you so much!

Everest basecamp

The base camp on the Nepalese side of Mount Everest is getting empty. Government officials denied that the climbing season on the highest mountain in the world was officially ended. “The ones who want to leave will leave and those who want to continue climbing would not be stopped or threatened,” said Tourism Minister Bhim Acharya after a crisis meeting at the basecamp, where he had tried to convince the teams to continue the expeditions. The Sherpas had assured him that there would be no trouble, he said.

Threats of a small group of Sherpas

Previously, there had been reports of threats of some Sherpas. “The ambience at basecamp is becoming increasingly tense. There is a small group of renegade Sherpa from peripheral teams who are threatening violence towards anyone who chooses to stay and climb”, wrote Monica Piris, expedition doctor in the team of Alpenglow, that had declared its expedition ended before the arrival of the government delegation. Similar comments were made by the German reporter Juliane Moeckinghoff in her Everest diary. She is accompanying the blind Austrian climber Andy Holzer.

Other teams cancel their expeditions 

International Mountain Guides (IMG), Adventure Consultants, RMI Expeditions, Jagged Globe and Peak Freaks also abandoned their Everest expeditions. All show their compassion with the Sherpas on the death of 16 Nepalis in the avalanche in the Khumbu Icefall last Friday. At the same time they point to the organizational difficulties that have arisen because many Sherpas have already left the basecamp or refuse to return to the mountain.

Too few Sherpas left

“The Icefall route is currently unsafe for climbing without repairs by the Icefall doctors, who will not be able to resume their work this season”, Eric Simonson wrote about the reason to end the IMG expedition. “We have explored every option and can find no way to safely continue the expedition.” David Hamilton and Tom Briggs of Jagged Globe argued the same way: “We are cancelling the expedition as there is no prospect of replacing our Sherpas and because there aren’t now sufficient Sherpas in basecamp to fix ropes on the mountain and make it safe to climb.” According to the Nepalese Ministry of Tourism the climbing permits of the teams to leave, remain valid for five years.

Update April 25: Obviously, Himalayan Experience and Altitude Junkies have meanwhile cancelled their Everest expeditions too. Asian Trekking is also going home. “We have also decided to leave base camp”, writes Dawa Steven Sherpa to me. “ We are amongst the last left in base camp.”