Sherpa Page #4

There hasn't been a year

in history

where 13 people have died

on Everest,

let alone in one day.

Man #24:
Break, break.

Michael has done an examination

on all bodies.

No signs of life.

Brice:
I dare say...

This is the day

that we just all dreaded.

Woman #3:
How are you feeling?

Shattered.

Every village will be affected.

A lot of our guys

will have friends they know.

There's people

from all over the khumbu

who have been...

You know, young guys who,

at least one of them

i know just had a baby.

Just...

Man #25:
Now to the worst disaster

ever seen on mount Everest.

Woman #4:
The avalanche hit

at about 6:
30 this morning

local time

at one of the busiest times

of day on the mountain.

Man #25:
Greatest one-day toll

recorded

of the world's tallest mountain.

Woman #4:
A wall of snow crashed

over the western shoulder.

Man #26:
The death toll's

expected to rise to 16.

Man #27:
Questions are now

being asked about the future

of this year's climbing season

and whether attempts

will be made next month.

Man #28:
This tragedy adds

to the death toll on Everest,

which is already estimated

at 250.

Man #29:
A four-day halt

to climbing has been declared

while the search for

the missing sherpas goes on.

Douglas:
And you see the grief,

and you know,

that's going back decades.

You know, these grieving

sherpa families...

This constant narrative of loss

being expressed again.

Woman #5:
This morning,

the search has been suspended

for three other people

who are still missing

from mount Everest.

Crews did manage to recover

a 13th body overnight.

Wardle:

Two days ago, 16 people died.

Including

about half of our team.

This morning, I think

the sherpas are taking matters

into their own hands.

They're holding a big meeting

at base camp.

We've just been told

that the sherpas are quite angry

and we should get bags ready

just in case

we have to make a swift exit.

We don't know if the sherpas

are perhaps gonna target us

as a focus for their anger...

Westerners coming here

and causing such

a kind of circus at times.

I don't know if there's

any still-lingering tension

from last year

and the fights that broke out.

We're hoping the same thing

doesn't happen again this year,

but we're concerned about

filming here right now.

16 people dying

at the same time...

It's a huge, huge shock.

When it started to sink in,

the anger got distinctly pointed

at the government.

They feel that the government

has always been benefiting

off the labor of the sherpas,

the lives of the sherpas,

and never put anything back.

Douglas:

Nepal's tourism industry.

Is worth $360 million a year.

So when the government offers

the families around $400,

which isn't even enough to cover

their funeral expenses,

grief turns to anger

very quickly.

The government...

You know, once it figured out

that it could sell Everest

as many times

as it liked every year

rather than once,

it's basically just sat there,

occasionally twiddled

around the edges

when there was

some bad headlines,

but basically

not really done anything since.

They've left it to western,

you know, operators

and just taken their cut

every year, and it's a big cut.

It's like 1/3 of the money

that stays in Nepal

from this business

goes to the government.

The sherpas...

They're still taking the risks.

You know,

they've always taken the risks.

They're still taking the risks.

They, quite reasonably,

think that's outrageous.

We worked really hard

this morning

to send a letter to the ministry

asking for better conditions

for these guys.

I would have thought

that might preempt

this type of meeting

this afternoon.

Of course

we're upset about people dying,

but this is irrational,

you know?

It's totally irrational.

I dare say they'd look

at the arab summer

and things like that and think

that they can do

the same sort of things.

It's hot-headed young guys

who really don't have

very much experience

on this mountain in any case.

They're angry, yes. They are.

Their grandparents

and their fathers

have worked hard

in the himalayas.

All the hard work

has been done by the sherpas,

which is not fair.

It is not fair.

Man #30:

Every morning, we wake up

and we realize

that this is not a dream.

I'm sorry.

I don't really know what to say.

We had a... a day...

We've all been

expecting an accident,

and we had a very bad day.

The day that we never,

ever wanted.

I am afraid every single day

the boys go through the icefall.

I fear every day, but, guys,

we also have to progress.

We have to progress

for the future.

Otherwise, you have no income

for your families.

Douglas:
This is unprecedented

that the sherpas.

Could contemplate giving up

a season's earning

in order to make their point.

One of the biggest requests

from the workers

in this base camp

is to not continue

climbing this year.

We know that's a great big ask,

but it's somewhat small

compared to the 16 lives

we've lost in this mountain.

This is not workable for us.

We've still got our sherpas

to come to talk to,

to see if we want to carry on

climbing or not.

We can't have this happening

every time

there's an accident

every season.

It's getting out of control.

We're being forced off this

mountain by renegade sherpas.

Joshi:
We only became a

Democratic country in the '90s,

so people feel like they have

more freedom of speech.

So whenever they speak something

that is a bit more bold,

it obviously

takes the western people

who are the base camp

by surprise.

They're saying what they think.

They're not rebels.

They're just mountain guides.

Brice:

I'm asking for a helicopter.

To go to the ministry.

The government has not taken

much notice in the past,

so I think now's the time.

I think we're confident

that we're gonna

recover the situation,

but only if we act right now.

Man #31:
Good morning.

Well, it began as a tragedy

and has now turned into

an avalanche of resentment

that threatens

the entire Everest industry.

Woman #6:
Sherpa guides on mount

Everest are staging a boycott

that threatens to shut down

next month's climbing season.

Man #31:
The issue is why

the sherpa climbing guides,

who assume a disproportionately

large part of the risk

get a disproportionately

small part of the take.

I'd like to know a little bit

about what's going on, you know?

We hear from, you know...

Simon hears

from the European papers

that the season's over.

I hear from American media

that there's a potential strike

and there's still negotiating

going on, but...

- We don't know anything, huh?

- Nothing.

We can sit it,

and yet we don't know a thing.

He's paid for a helicopter

to come and take him

so we can go talk to the people

that can make decisions.

He's working on it,

and until those discussions

are over,

there's nothing but speculation,

which is exactly

what we're doing.

Sorry, guys.

I mean, if I had

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes