Three climbers in 'terrifying' fight on Mount Everest

Updated
Three climbers in 'terrifying' fight on Mount Everest
Three climbers in 'terrifying' fight on Mount Everest



Three climbers, including one British photographer, were involved in a fight against local Sherpa guides on Mount Everest.

According to Associated Press, Dipendra Poudel of the Mountaineering Department said the three climbers, from Britain, Italy and Switzerland, were involved in the brawl with the guides on Sunday.

The fight is being investigated and Poudel says that both sides accuse each other of starting it.

According to the Daily Mail, a Nepalese newspaper said that all three European climbers, including British mountaineering photographer Jonathan Griffith, were injured and that their tents were damaged.

The fight took place at 7,000 metres and was reportedly so intense, with one American witness saying the Sherpas pelted the climbers' tents with stones and that punches were thrown.

'It was terrifying to watch - they (the Europeans) nearly got killed,' the American climber told AFP.

Meanwhile, Anish Gupta of Cho-Oyu Trekking, the Kathmandu-based travel company that organised the Europeans' expedition, said: "We understand that at some point the foreign climbers kicked some ice back and it hit one of the Sherpa guides, causing the fight to start."

Since 1953, when it was first conquered by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norguay, more than 3,000 people have climbed Everest, which straddles Nepal and China. 2013 celebrates the 60th anniversary of the first ascent of Mount Everest, with many travel firms offering special treks.

Related articles

Mount Everest 'traffic jam' could have contributed to four deaths

Student becomes youngest British woman to reach top of Mount Everest

Brits among 2,000 climbers stranded on Mount Everest because of fog

Advertisement