Kathmandu : sonam yangji sherps, As the Corona virus this year caused a huge push in the tourism sector, April 18, 2014 was founded as the darker day than ever before. The disaster in April 2014 had left residents in every family occupied by the tourism profession. Remembering that day would still make their eyes full of tears. Every family living in the hope of earning money from the mountain had been disturbed. On April 18, 2014, 16 climber lost their lives, and including 2 climber guides, 7 were injured. Mountain Leader Dawa Tashi Sherpa is also the one among the injured. Tashi, who claims to have returned that fortune after being saved by fate, remembers the black day where 16 people died in front of his eyes. This is how Sherpa share his experience. He could not save his friend even if he want.
Sherpa experience
In the spring season of 2071 BC many different companies had obtained the permission to climb Everest and work was progressing normally. In the meantime, on 2071,Baishakh 4, we decided to go from base camp to camp 2 and after returning from base camp and go to camp 2 next day . Packing all the things , on Friday Baishakh 5, 2071 April 18, 2014, as always we got up at 1 o’clock at night and ate breakfast and tea, we headed for the camp 2 from base camp. The path to the Khumbu Icefall was very difficult, at the meantime a friend I knew came up for the first time so he asked to go with him and I could not say No. A few of my teammates and friends from another company were going a long way. Due to a friend I was going slowly, suddenly we heard the way to Icefall is damaged. After that we discussed with in us about to go up or down, but my own teammates were also in front so I was confused.
At the same time another news came out that the ladder had broken, but after hearing that the advancing companions had made it, I too decided to go upstairs with my friends. When we reached at that place where the ladder had been broken, around 30/35 people were waiting for their turns there. We were little tired, so we sat down waiting for our turn letting our friends go first thinking to rest for a while at that place. On the way to the turn around, our turn came after two or three and I had my close friend in front of me.
As he pulled out his safety rope and started to go forward, Suddenly there was a loud noise all of us looked up a cloud like white snow fall were coming towards us . No one was able to say anything at that terrifying sight. We thought about living in the same place moving couple of steps back. There were 13 of us in the same group but all my 12 friends died at the same place, it became the most painful thing for me. Fortunately, among 13 I survived. I do not know how I survived, but as soon as I realized I would die if I had a spinal cord or I would have to live in a disability, so I kept the left side of my back towards the avaliance. But with God’s blessing I was saved from that place.
The heart gets cold Thinking that moment. It has been 6 years that my friend left the world in front of my eyes. I think that i got new life on April 18, 2014. After returning, I stayed in hospital for a long time. While telling this story, I am proud to be a Nepalese but it is sad to see the state of tourism in Nepal. At a crucial level there is someone with no experience.
The state has no interest in the future of climbers like us who work in the country giving our life. If the state is really proud of the fact that the Himalayas make the statement as a country of the Himalayas, if the state think about the future of sherpa climbers than the experienced sherpa climbers won’t go abroad.
The day I got a new life, Became the last day of my 16 friends.
