The four climbers who are presumed killed or missing after avalanches hit Mount Shishapangma in the Tibet autonomous region on Saturday afternoon have been identified, according to the regional sports bureau.
Two avalanches occurred at 7,600 meters and 8,000 meters in altitude, leaving Anna Gutu, a climber from the United States, and Nepalese mountain guide Mingmar Sherpa dead. U.S. climber Gina Marie Rzucidlo and Nepalese mountain guide Tenjen Sherpa are missing, and another Nepalese mountain guide Karma Geljen Sherpa was seriously injured.
According to the liaison officer of Tibet's mountaineering team, 52 climbers were making a summit push when the avalanches hit. They were from countries including the U.S., the United Kingdom, Romania, Albania, Italy, Japan and Pakistan.
The sports bureau said the injured Nepalese climber is out of danger and is being moved down the mountain. All climbing activities have been suspended due to the unstable snow conditions on the mountain.
With a peak at 8,027 meters above sea level, Shishapangma ranks 14th among the world's highest mountains and lies in one of the core glacial regions in the Himalayas.
Located in Tibet's Nyalam county, it is about 120 kilometers from Mount Qomolangma, also known as Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world.
Like Qomolangma, there are only two periods of time each year that are relatively suitable for mountaineering in Shishapangma due to climate conditions — in April and May, and around October.
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