Arizona woman trapped on Everest after Nepal earthquake
Apr 27, 2015, 9:50 AM | Updated: 10:12 am
A woman from Scottsdale, Arizona was trapped on Mount Everest after an avalanche caused by the earthquake in Nepal.
Haley Ercanbrack was one of several climbers at Camp Two, about 21,000 feet in elevation, when the avalanche came whipping through the site. She and others descended down to Camp One on Sunday and have since been airlifted by helicopter to base camp. Her father, Randall Ercanbrack, was at base camp when the avalanche struck.
The group sorted through items at base camp before beginning a decent to Gorak Shep, a small mountaineering village. They plan to make their way to Lukla, a common hub for Everest climbers.
Several other avalanches also happened on different parts of the mountain.
The group did lose one of its members, Marisa Eve Girawong. She was a physician’s assistant who was serving as the team’s camp doctor. According to the group’s site, Girawong passed in the aftermath of the avalanche.
Garrett Madison with Madison Mountaineering gave an update to the TODAY Show on Monday.
KTAR’s Jim Cross contributed to this report.
