Nepal earthquake: Army’s Mount Everest trek turns into rescue operation

An Indian Army climbing expedition has turned into a rescue mission at the base camp of Mount Everest. After a massive earthquake jolted the Himalayan region and led to killer avalanches on Saturday, a 30-member team of soldiers which had gone to peak the highest summit in the world escaped by the skin of their teeth. They then started working to save lives on the harsh terrain and will be the last to leave.

"We have treated about 80 injured including foreign climbers and sherpas. Around 10 of them had suffered head injuries," says Ritesh Goel, 28, the only doctor in the team. The severely injured were evacuated on Sunday morning. Around 15 bodies were also recovered and three people are known to have succumbed to their injuries on their way down from base camp, which is at a height of 17,700 feet. One Indian soldier who suffered a minor injury has also been pulled out, according to army spokesperson Col Rohan Anand.

When the 7.9-magnitude quake struck, the soldiers and accompanying sherpas were on an acclimatization trek to Khumbhu icefall, some 300 feet above base camp. The zone is infamous for its unstable ice blocks. An avalanche at the same spot had claimed the lives of 16 Nepalese guides exactly a year ago. The soldiers survived as many as three avalanches at the icefall on Saturday, with three jawans suffering minor injuries. "There were cracks everywhere and we were covered with powdered snow," recalls Goyal over the phone. The battered team climbed down to a sight of utter chaos and destruction at the base camp.

Goyal had been a part of a 20-member paratroopers rescue unit during the Kedarnath flash floods in June 2013. "I move with my clinic. Fortunately when the avalanche struck base camp, the only tent it left unharmed was the one with medical supplies," he says. The team was scheduled to scale the peak mid May so they also have enough ration supplies for everyone for a few more weeks. While some soldiers are busy reconstructing the ravaged base camp, others are attending the hurt. There were around 1,000 people in Everest camps when disaster struck. Goyal says nearly 80-90% have been evacuated. "Around 100 are still here and should be moved out within 2-3 days," says the doctor. "We'll be the last people to leave the site, after every other climber and sherpa has been evacuated."

Col Anand says a decision on whether to resume the expedition after the rescue mission hasn't been taken and depends on ground conditions and a clearance by the Nepal government.