Discovery cancels Everest Jump Live after avalanche deaths

PAULA BRONSTEIN/Getty Images

Discovery cancels Everest Jump Live after avalanche deaths
(Image credit: PAULA BRONSTEIN/Getty Images)

The Discovery Channel is canceling its Everest Jump Live special after an avalanche killed 13 people on Friday. The program, which was to air on May 11, had planned to follow a climber equipped with cameras as he jumped off the world's tallest mountain.

"In light of the overwhelming tragedy at Mt. Everest and respect for the families of the fallen, Discovery Channel will not be going forward with Everest Jump Live," a statement released Sunday from the network read. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the whole Sherpa community."

The Associated Press reports that all of the victims were from Nepal's ethnic Sherpa community, who make a living helping visitors navigate the treacherous mountain. Three people are still missing in what is the deadliest avalanche to ever hit the mountain. An NBC News crew was at the base camp preparing for the special when the avalanche struck, but they were not hurt.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Continue reading for free

We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.

Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.

Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.