Nepal earthquake: Sherpas who survived deadly avalanche reveal moment they were buried by snow

The Sherpa survivors said they feared that many more people could be dead on Everest

At least 17 people died on Everest after an avalanche struck, triggered by the earthquake (Getty)

Sherpas who have survived the earthquake-triggered avalanche that swept through the Mount Everest base camp have said they fear many more could be dead on the mountain.

At least 17 people were killed when the avalanche on 25 April, set off by a massive earthquake, obliterated part of the rocky village of nylon tents, where dozens of teams were training as they prepared to make summit attempts in the next few weeks.

Of those evacuated, 12 were Nepalese Sherpas. There was also one person each from China, South Korea and Japan.

The Sherpa survivors said they feared that many more people could be dead on Everest.

Pemba Sherpa, a 43-year-old guide with the right side of his face bandaged, was surprised he had survived.

Everest was struck by a number of avalanches following the earthquake (Getty)

He rushed from his tent when the earthquake hit and was standing in the open when "I heard a big noise, and the next thing I know I was swept away by the snow," he said. "I must have been swept almost 200 meters."

Later, he regained consciousness. "I was in a tent surrounded by some foreigners. I did not know what happened or where I was," he said after being taken to Kathmandu Medical College Hospital.

Mount Everest base camp after the avalanche (AP)

For generations, thousands of ethnic Sherpas, many of whom also use Sherpa as a surname, have made their living working on mountaineering expeditions as guides, porters or cooks.

The magnitude-7.8 quake struck at around noon, just over a year after the deadliest avalanche on record hit Everest, killing 16 Sherpa guides on April 18, 2014.

A man cries as he walks on the street while passing through a damaged statue of Lord Buddha a day after the earthquake in Bhaktapur, Nepal (Reuters)

Witnesses said the avalanche began on Mount Kumori, a 7,000-meter (22,966-foot) high mountain just a few miles from Everest, gathering strength as it headed toward base camp and the lower reaches of Everest.

Numerous climbers may now be cut off on routes leading to the top of the world's highest peak.

Bhim Bahadur Khatri, 35, another survivor flown to Kathmandu, said he was cooking a meal in a tent when the quake struck.

"We all rushed out to the open and the next moment a huge wall of snow just piled on me," he said in a brief airport interview before being driven to a nearby hospital. "I managed to dig out of what could easily have been my grave. I wiggled and used my claws to dig as much as I could. I was suffocating, I could not breathe. But I knew I had to survive."

When he finally dug his way out, gulping in fresh air, he was surrounded by devastation. Part of the base camp village was gone.

"I looked around and saw the tents all torn and crushed. Many people were injured," he said. "I had lived but lost many of my friends."

Twenty-two of the most seriously injured had already been taken by helicopter for treatment in the village of Pheriche, the location of the nearest medical facility. But bad weather and communications were hampering more helicopter flights, said Ang Tshering of the Nepal Mountaineering Association.

Nepal's worst earthquake for 81 years has so far left more than 1500 dead, and is expected to rise sharply (EPA)

Later, a plane carrying 15 injured people arrived in the capital, Kathmandu, from Lukla, home of the closest airport to Mount Everest. Officials refused to provide details on their conditions, but most appeared to have broken bones or other treatable injuries.

More than 4,000 climbers have scaled the 8,850-meter (29,035-foot) summit since 1953, when Everest was first conquered by New Zealand climber Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. The numbers have skyrocketed in recent years, with more than 800 climbers during the 2013 spring season.