American filmmaker killed on Mount Everest
DENVER — A man making a documentary about the Mount Everest base camp was among those killed when an avalanche hit the mountain Saturday. The avalanche stemmed from the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal, toppling buildings in the impoverished nation's capital of Katmandu.
Tom Taplin, 61, was a Denver-born filmmaker, Seattle-based camp doctor and a Google engineer. His brother, Britton Taplin confirmed his death Sunday. KABC-TV in Los Angeles reported that Taplin was living in Santa Monica, Calif.
According to KABC, Taplin's wife, Corey Freyer, said this was her husband's fourth trip to Nepal, adding that mountaineering was his passion.
Taplin, who was there with two other people working on a film about Everest climbers, was one of three Americans killed by the avalanche on Mount Everest.
Google executive Daniel Fredinburg, who was part of a team from the firm attempting to create a Google street map of the trek to Everest Base Camp, and Marisa Eve Girawong, an emergency room physician's assistant serving as a base camp doctor for the Seattle-based Madison Mountaineering expedition company, were among the 18 people killed in the avalanche on Mount Everest.
Police in Nepal told the Associated Press on Monday that at least 3,617 people were confirmed dead.
That figure does not include the 18 on Mount Everest, or the 61 people killed in India and 20 reported dead in Tibet.
The death toll could rise further after officials are able to assess the damage to the communities nestled within the country's mountains. Efforts to reach those villages have been hampered by landslides that have blocked many mountain trails.
Colorado mountaineer Jon Kedrowski worked with a friend in the U.S. to update his social media and blog to give an account of the conditions at base camp.
In his blog, he shows photos of the destroyed base camp and describes the injuries of the survivors to be similar to those of tornado victims.
Fort Collins, Colo., climber Jim Davidson was trapped at a higher camp, but made his way down to base camp, according to his Facebook page.
A Boulder, Colo., high school student also was on the mountain. His father said Matt Moniz, 17, and his climbing team, are safe.
"Matt, it was fantastic to hear his voice, and for me, I've been in the mountains quite a bit, I've been to Mount Everest. I've gone through the ice fall. I know what it can be like," said Mike Moniz, Matt's father.
The base camp sits just below the Khumbu Icefall, a frozen river that can move several feet per day.
It was Matt's fourth trip to the Himalayas, and his second attempt at climbing Mount Everest, his father said. Now, both Everest trips have been interrupted by deadly avalanches, the last one coming in 2014.
As climbers remain trapped above the ice fall, Moniz said he heard reports that Matt, a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, helped rescue climbers after the avalanche.
"He needs to get the rest of his climbers down. He's supporting the mission. The primary mission on the mountain is get the injured out and I think they can check the box. They've done a fantastic job," Mike Moniz said. "All the teams at base camp — they've pulled together in a very unified way. They're all working together. It's very sophisticated command and control."
Moniz said it's not likely any climbs will continue, especially considering the climbing season will end in June. He also said the Sherpa community has been hit particularly hard, with many of their homes being destroyed.
Moniz added that even though Matt and his team survived the avalanche, he still worries about what may come in the near future.
"You'd be incredibly naïve that Everest Base Camp is a completely safe place to be right now. Everest Base Camp is a dangerous place even when it's at its most stable time," he said. "It's unsettling for him to be there, but at the same time, he's following his passion and his heart."
Contributing: William Cummings, Paste BN.