Google executive Dan Fredinburg among thousands dead in Nepal earthquake

Mr Fredinburg was climbing Mount Everest when the quake hit

Dan Fredinburg, a Google executive who described himself as an adventurer, was among the hundreds who died in the massive earthquake that struck Nepal.

Google confirmed his death. Lawrence You, the company's director of privacy, posted online that Fredinburg was in Nepal with three other Google employees climbing Mount Everest. The other three, he added, are safe.

Google would not give further details. According to the technology blog Re/Code, Fredinburg was an experienced climber who co-founded, in his spare time, Google Adventure. The project aims to "translate the Google Street View concept into extreme, exotic locations like the summit of Mount Everest or the Great Barrier Reef off Australia," according to Startup Grind, a global startup community.

Fredinburg also helped start Save the Ice, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about global warming "through adventurous campaigns and events around the world," according to its website.

AP