Icefall Leads to Dramatic Rescue on Everest

Climbers picking their way through Everest's notorious Khumbu Icefall before dawn Tuesday ended up in a race to save two of their own. Around 5:45am local time, a towering block of ice known as a serac broke apart and sent massive chunks crashing onto the climbing route, briefly burying several people, according to Nepal's Department of Tourism and eyewitness accounts. Fellow climbers then dug out two who were fully trapped: 40-year-old Indian client Nimish Kumar Singh and veteran Nepali guide Pema Thenduk "Black Yak" Sherpa, 44, reports Outside Online. Video posted on social media captures the scene, per ExplorersWeb.

The collapse unleashed a broad rescue effort involving guides, safety teams, and helicopter pilots. Choppers eventually evacuated the pair from the icefall to a Kathmandu hospital. Officials say both men are in stable condition and expected to recover. Sherpa, who has summited Everest 12 times and notched 34 ascents above 8,000 meters, could be released within a day. Authorities added that the failing serac was different from the one that had earlier postponed this year's Everest climbing season.