Nepal earthquake: Huge operation under way to rescue dozens of survivors trapped on Mount Everest

Rescued and still trapped Everest avalanche survivors use social media to let loved ones know they are alive

A Nepalese volunteer and member of the security forces carry tents to be distributed in Bhaktapur on the outskirts of Kathmanduon (Getty)

A huge operation is under way to rescue dozens of survivors trapped on Everest following avalanches triggered by the Nepal earthquake. At least 17 people are thought to have been killed.

Accounts of the tragedy on the mountain emerged on social media as those trapped sought to let loved ones know they were safe, after snow and rock loosened by Saturday’s earthquake swept through base camp, a village of nylon tents and around 400 people.

A second avalanche occurred yesterday morning.

The survivors of the mountain’s worst-ever disaster include a number of Britons, while Daniel Fredinburg, a senior American executive at Google, was among the dead. Britons known to have survived include Alex Schneider and Sam Chappatte, both 28, who were on their honeymoon, as well as Daniel Mazur, a climbing expedition leader from Bristol.

“A massive earthquake just hit Everest. Base camp has been severely damaged. Our team is caught in camp 1. Please pray for everyone,” Mr Mazur tweeted.

Later he said: “12+1 member at #Everest BC TV team passed away. RIP. Earthquake loosed tons of ice down, creating wind blast destroying base camp heart.

“Aftershock at 1pm! Horrible here in camp 1. Avalanches on three sides. Camp 1 a tiny island. We worry about icefall team below. Alive?” Mr Mazur added later.

Newlyweds Alex Schneider and Sam Chappatte told of their experiences in a joint blog: “We staggered out to see an avalanche coming straight at us. A blast of wind knocked us down but we were able to get up and run to shelter behind some tents and anchor ourselves with axes.”

British honeymooners Alex Schneider and Sam Chappatte

Another Briton, 39-year-old Nick Talbot, was attempting to be the first climber with cystic fibrosis to scale Everest. “This was like a tsunami. I saw this wall of snow and ice coming. I ran away. I thought, ‘There is no chance I can get away.’ I just had my socks on. It knocked me into the rocks. I got up and it knocked me over again,” Mr Talbot told The New York Times.

Pemba Sherpa, 43, an Everest guide, was surprised to have survived. One of the first to be rescued, Mr Sherpa recalled how he was knocked unconscious. “I heard a big noise and the next thing I knew I was swept away by the snow. I must have been swept almost 200 metres ... When I regained consciousness, I was in a tent surrounded by foreigners. I did not know what happened or where I was.”

Bhim Bahadur Khatri, 35, a cook for a climbing team said the quake hit when he was preparing a meal. “I managed to dig out of what could easily have been my grave [using] my hands as claws to dig as much as I could. I was suffocating. I could not breathe. I knew I had to survive,” he said.

When he finally dug his way out, part of the base camp had been destroyed. “I looked around and saw the tents all torn and crushed. Many people were injured. I had lived but lost many of my friends,” Mr Khatri added.

Twenty-two of the most seriously injured have been taken by helicopter to the village of Pheriche, the location of the nearest medical facility. But bad weather and communications were hampering more helicopter flights.

Tara Bradshaw, 24, from Brighton, Sebastian Lovera, 22, from Tonbridge, Kent and Julia Carroll, also 22, were among the Britons who survived the avalanche. James Grieve, 52, from Kinross in Fife also survived.