Five Sherpas Who Died On Everest Were Part Of NBC apos;s Crew
EXCLUSIVE: NBC tragedy as FIVE of the 13 sherpas killed by Mount Everest avalanche were employed by network's expedition for next month's Discovery Channel specialEarly Friday morning avalanche on Mount Everest killed at least 13 local guides and three are still missing Deadliest disaster in the history of Mount Everest
A government report obtained by MailOnline lists two of the guides as being part of the NBC Everest ExpeditionNBC's Peacock Productions was producing the live jump show for the Discovery Channel which will air a live jump so crews were at the mountain
The special is going to star wing jumper Joby Ogwyn who previously worked with another tour shangrila company that lost three sherpas
Network representatives confirmed that their seven-person news crew are all safe but they did not elaborate on which guide company they usedWillie Geist is slated to host the May 11 special
By [/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Meghan+Keneally Meghan Keneally]
Published: 17:00 GMT, 18 April 2014 | Updated: 21:30 GMT, 21 April 2014
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As first reported by MailOnline, five of the guides who died after the early morning avalanche on Mount Everest have been revealed as art of the team employed by NBC for an upcoming live jump special.
A member of the surviving NBC News crew confirmed what a government list obtained by MailOnline first revealed as the local crew were a part of the prep team hired ahead of an live jump that NBC's Peacock Productions is shooting for Discovery Channel which will air in May.
Two of the fatalities were explicitly listed as being a part of the NBC Everest Expedition and three others were hired by Adventurist Expeditions, an Everest climbing company that the wingsuit jumper at the heart of the NBC special had previously worked with.
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Grieving: Ed Wardle, a Scottish filmmaker working on the Peacock Productions' live jump crew, said Friday night that they lost five members of their team in the avalanche
Highest peak on Earth: A group of more than a dozen sherpas had gone up on the mountain early Friday morning to fix some ropes that would be used by trekkers later in the day, but one survivor recalled feeling that the route was unstable
Documentation: A Nepal government report names the victims of the tragedy and reveals they were on an 'NBC Everest Expedition'
NBC and Discovery officials would not specifically state which sherpas or what tour Lệ Giang giá rẻ companies the networks employed at Everest when MailOnline made repeated inquiries, but a part of the Peacock Productions crew currently at Everest Base Camp did confirm that five members of their larger crew were among the fatalities.
'Some of the sherpas were working for us. We lost five members of our team this morning,' Ed Wardle told [ Channel 4].
'It's absolutely devastating.
The atmosphere here at base camp is one of shock and now of grieving.
'I believe it's the worst disaster in Everest history if not all mountaineering.'
He went on to say that he believed the number of dead had now risen to 16 but that has not been formally confirmed.
Mr Wardle's statements come hours after he told [ The Today Show]'s Savannah Guthrie that he did not know any of the victims.
'No I couldn't tell you the name of any of the sherpas that were up there,' Mr Wardle said when asked if he knew any of the deceased.
[ ] Earlier on Friday morning, Wardle (right), standing alongside fellow NBC News employee Jonathan Fierro (left), told The Today Show that he did not know the names of any of the sherpas who had died but that later changed
'First thing this morning, just before 7:00, we heard an avalanche in the ice fall.
It's a pretty regular occurrence- nobody was shocked by that but then radio reports started coming off the mountain that people were stuck in the avalanche. Everybody came out and started getting organized for the rescue.'
NBC News spokeswoman Amy Lynn said that the NBC News crews were safe but did not elaborate on any of the sherpas that they employed.
'NBC News Peacock Productions' crews were on Mt. Everest preparing for Discovery's Everest Jump Live when the avalanche struck. We are grateful and relieved that the 7 NBC News staffers on site are all accounted for and unharmed,' she told MailOnline.
'Tragically, 13 Nepalese sherpas from a number of expedition companies who prepare the mountain each year for climbing season lost their lives, and the rescue mission continues. We are working closely with the team on the ground to assist however we can, and our thoughts and prayers are with the affected families.
'The future of the production will be assessed at the appropriate time.'
JUST TRYING TO HELP OTHERS: THE SHERPAS WHO DIED WHEN THEY WENT UP EARLY TO FIX LOOSE ROPES
When the Nepalese government released this list, only 12 were dead and four were missing.
The latest reports have the number of fatalities up to 13 but they have not disclosed who is the new fatality.
Name of expedition
NBC Everest Expedition
Adventurist Everest Expedition
AAI Everest Expeditions
AC Everest Expeditions
Jagged Globe Everest Exped.
Himalayan Ecstasy Lhotse
Everest Chinese Dream
Name of Trekking Company
Shangrila Nepal Pvt.
Ltd.
Himalayan Guides Nepal Treks
Shangrila Nepal Pvt. Ltd.
Himalayan Guides Nepal Treks
Summit Nepal Trekking
Himalayan Ecstasy Treks
Seven Summit Treks Pvt.
Ltd.
Names of sherpas
Mingma Nuru Sherpa- dead
Derji Sherpa- dead
Dorjee Khatri- dead
Then Dorjee Sherpa- dead
Phur Temba Sherpa- dead
Ang Tshiri Sherpa- dead
Nima Sherpa- dead
Tenzng Chottar- missing
Phurba Ongyal Sherpa- dead
Lakpa Tenjing Sherpa- dead
Chhring Ongchu Sherpa- dead
Pasang Karma Sherpa- dead
Asman Tamang- dead
Ankaji Sherpa- missing
Pem Tenji Sherpa- missing
AAsh Bahadur Gurung- missing
Survivor: Dawa Tashi Sherpa, pictured, is one of several guides who were rescued from the mountain
Waiting to help: Staffers at Grandy Hospital in Katmandu were ready on the helipad Friday but communication isn't clear between who hired which guide groups who were on the mountain in the avalanche
Discovery's executive vice president of communications did tell MailOnline exclusively that Ogwyn is there and helping with the recovery effort.
'The avalanche last night on Mt Everest is a terrible tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers are with those who are lost and with their families. The immediate priority for Joby and the team is to assist the search and rescue efforts in anyway possible,' Laurie Goldberg said.
Willie Geist from the Today Show was set to host the special.
Both climbers listed as being a part of the NBC expedition- Mingma Nuru Sherpa from the region of Namche and Derji Sherpa also from Namche were declared dead by the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation.
Three others, who worked for Adventurist Everest Expedition- Dorjee Khatri from Lelep, Then Dorjee Sherpa from Khumjung and Phur Temba Sherpa from Yaphu- were all killed in the avalanche.
Sherpas had gone up to the mountain much earlier than normal in hopes of fixing ropes for other climbers.
One of the injured survivors has said that he told a family member that the path was unstable just moments before the avalanche hit.
Star of the show: The Discovery Channel live jump was going to be done by Joby Ogwyn, an experienced wingsuiter, and the special was announced in February
Expectations: Joby Ogywn is the wingsuit jumper that is scheduled to make the live jump in May on the Discovery Channel and he posted on Thursday about his upcoming trek
Busy season: Avalanches like the one that occurred Friday morning are common in the area but in addition to the 13 who died this morning, it may cause further problems because this is the 'high season' in the area when many tours go through (pictured in May 2013)
Four of the survivors were airlifted to Grandy Hospital in Katmandu while other survivors were being treated at base camp for less serious injuries.
The Discovery Channel has not put out any statements about the future of the special, and Mr Wardle hinted that he is just one of the adventurers at Base Camp who are not looking to stay.
'I'd think that many of the expeditions here will pack up and go home.
For this number of people to die at the very beginning of the season is completely unacceptable,' he told Channel 4.
'We came here looking for adventure, to celebrate Everest, but for something like this to happen makes the whole thing seem pointless to me and I believe that will be the same for many people here.
'People come here partly to take the risk of climbing a mountain like this at high altitude and they understand those risks, but still, when something this large happens, I think we all have to question what we're doing here.'
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