Climbers, sherpas trapped on Mount Everest as aftershocks make recovery efforts difficult

Helicopters rescuing severely injured climbers and sherpas at Mount Everest's base camp Sunday had to stop after a 6.7 aftershock triggered additional avalanches.

Dozens of climbers and their Nepali guides are still trapped on the side of the mountain at two camps above where the avalanche fell, The Washington Post reports. The ropes and equipment they left up to help them make their descent were swept away in Saturday's avalanche, caused by the devastating earthquake that hit Nepal.

The Indian army estimates that 19 people died at the Mount Everest base camp on Saturday, and 61 people were rescued, primarily foreign tourists. In a Facebook message to the Post, Danish climber Carsten Lillelund Pedersen said that climbers and sherpas stuck higher up on the mountain "are getting desperate," and American climber Jon Kedrowski wrote on his blog that there were "head injuries, broken legs, internal injuries, and impalements" as well as "contusions and lacerations from flying debris." No one has a solid number on how many people are trapped and how many died, but Eric Johnson, a physician on the board of Everest ER, said that during peak climbing season, more than 1,500 people, including climbers, sherpas, and porters, are at base camp.

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