Gorkha Earthquake Triggers Avalanche onto Everest Base Camp
| Event date | 25 April 2015 (afternoon) |
|---|---|
| Location | Everest Base Camp; avalanche released from the Pumori side |
| Type | Earthquake and natural disaster; avalanche; rescue and evacuation |
| Deaths | At least 19 (Nepal Mountaineering Association list); later tallies of 22–24 are also widely cited |
| Injured | 61 |
| Verification | Verified (event); death toll differs by source |
| Status | Historical / closed |
The magnitude 7.8 Gorkha earthquake struck central Nepal on 25 April 2015, roughly 220 km from Everest. The shaking released snow and ice from the slopes of Pumori and neighbouring ridges, and the resulting avalanche and its air blast tore through part of Base Camp, scattering tents across the Khumbu Glacier.
How many people died there depends on the tally. A Nepal Mountaineering Association list recorded 19 deaths (10 Nepali Sherpas, 5 foreign climbers and 4 people not yet identified at the time); other counts compiled later put the figure at 22 to 24. Around 61 people were injured. Among the dead was Google executive Dan Fredinburg, one of four Americans killed.
Climbers already above the icefall were cut off because the route through it had been destroyed. Helicopters began flying the seriously injured down to Pheriche the next morning, and by 27 April about 60 people had been lifted from Camp I and 170 from Camp II. The spring season was abandoned, and for the first time in 41 years nobody summited Everest in spring. Coming a year after the 2014 icefall disaster, it meant two lost seasons in a row for the Khumbu’s climbing workforce.
Sources
- Wikipedia — 2015 Mount Everest avalanches
- National Geographic — "Everest Base Camp a 'War Zone' After Earthquake Triggers Avalanches"
- Britannica — Nepal earthquake of 2015
Last reviewed 29 September 2026. Written in Merolog’s own words from the sources listed; where sources disagree, each figure is attributed rather than merged. Spotted an error or a newer figure? Leave a comment on this entry.