Northwest Sherpa Community Mourns For Everest Avalanche Victims
Mother of Nepalese mountaineer Ang Kaji Sherpa, killed in an avalanche on Mount Everest, holds prayers beads in her hand and cries while she waits for his body at Sherpa Monastery in Katmandu, Nepal, on April 19, 2014.
AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha
Marcie Sillman speaks with Mingma T. Sherpa, a Seattle-area resident who grew up in Khumjung, Nepal.
Mingma is also a member of the Northwest Sherpa Association. He talks about the deadly avalanche on Mount Everest that killed 16 Sherpas, including his childhood friend.
“I pretty much knew all of the people who lost their lives on Mount Everest because we, Sherpa people, are very well-connected people,” he said. “We gather on happiness and sadness all of the time.”
Friday's accident, which took place right at the start of the climbing season, was the deadliest in Everest history.
“I feel very sad because I’m not in Nepal right now,” he said. “It’s very hard to be far away from my motherland."
