12:30 pm CST Nov 23, 2005
(Mounteverest.net) When an avalanche on Kang Guru (6,981 m), Annapurna region, killed 18 people including 7 French climbers and 11 of the group's Nepali staff, the world media could not have given the tragedy more coverage.
Four surviving porters who barely escaped with their lives were the first to raise the alarm. They spent two days wandering around the mountain until they reached help.
French avalanche rescue teams from Chamonix (in the French Alps) were immediately dispatched to assist in the search for the missing French climbers - their names rapidly published in the western press. Eventually, only two bodies were found. The first, has been confirmed as that of Bruno Chardin; the second body, also believed to be French, has yet to be identified.
The forgotten neighbors of Everest
When it came to the Nepali porters, however, the press went quiet. They were nameless, without identity, at least as far as the press reports were concerned. But to their families and friends, these porters had names, identities and lives of their own. They were their loved ones and neighbors. Those left behind to mourn found the government’s lack of attention to the porters' dissappearance insulting.
Eight out of the eleven dead were locals living in Laprak village in the Western district of Gorkha, and at least one of them was an Everest summiteer. Iman Singh Gurung had reached the top of the world and went on to found a trekking company in the region. “My grandson said he wanted to earn both name and fame for himself. Now I have lost the only support I had at this ripe age,” his grandmother told Nepal News. Seven of his neighbors also died in the avalanche: 27-year-old Chandra Man Gurung, Sahila Gurung (29), Dolal Gurung (26), Kami Gurung (25), Shir Bahadur Gurung (40), Man Bahadur Gurung (45), and Birlal Gurung (45).
Given the missing porters' last names, it is obvious that none of them was Sherpa. In fact, all of them belonged to the Gurung ethnic group.
Less money, inadequate gear for non-Sherpas
Frequently westerners refer to all local porters as Sherpa. However, the term is not actually correct. The Sherpa people from the Khumbu Valley represents just one of the 17 ethnic groups living in Nepal. Originally from the higher slopes around Everest, they are both strong and acclimatized to altitude from birth - two factors that make them genetically perfect climbers and highly favored for Himalayan expeditions.
Through the years, the Sherpa people have become a very well organized mountaineering group, and many of them are highly skilled as climbers. The high fees gained from porting and guiding jobs have also made many of the Sherpa wealthy by local standards. The ‘Himalayan Tigers’, as they are known, have achieved a 'mountain hero' status among the Nepali people.
In other regions of Nepal, the majority of porters are not Sherpa, but rather impoverished farmers in rural areas. Many of them travel from lower elevations to trekking and expedition routes in search of work. Often, their lack of basic mountaineering skills combined with a lack of business experience makes for less than ideal working conditions: lower fees, inadequate gear and no possibilities of rescue or medical assistance in case of emergency. Worst of all, they have no insurance. If they are killed or seriously injured in the mountains, their families are left with nothing to support themselves.
Low supply, high demand leads to cut-throat competition and abuse
In expeditions on 8000ers away from the Khumbu Valley, such as Annapurna, it is not unusual to see Sherpas working at higher altitude and then accompanying climbers to the summit. Whereas, non-Sherpa, considered to be less skilled, are hired as porters during the approach and as BC staff.
Estimates indicate that the trekking industry employs some 100,000 porters during peak seasons. Around 40,000 porters work in the Himalayan region, transporting local businessmens' goods on a regular basis year-round. But Nepal's unsettled political conflicts have only further exacerbated the porters' problems. Tourism is on the decline, while the number of porters continues to rise. The supply of work simply cannot meet the growing demand for it. The result: even lower wages and cut-throat competition among everyone looking for a job.
"Exploitation aggravated by dishonesty"
Many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been developing welfare programs for the local porters, but their actions - simply put - are not enough. They do not receive the necessary support from the government to make these programs viable.
Talking to NepalNews, assistant secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Lok Bahadur Khatri, said the Ministry will take action against trekking agencies that fail to provide proper facilities to porters. Khatri, however, acknowledged that there is no monitoring mechanism currently in place to ensure that government guidelines are followed. He further added that the Ministry could take action only if cases were officially filed with the Ministry.
Porters' Progress organization has denounced not only the poor treatment of porters but also highlights that there are little or no incentives for trekking agencies that do abide by the government's standards. Moreover, the ONG claims that in some cases “the exploitation of porters is aggravated by dishonest sirdars and guides that act as middlemen.”
Heavy snow fall in the Annapurna region caused an avalanche at the base camp of Kang Guru Himal in the third week of October 2005. Most members of the French team attempting the summit were swept away. After a call from the French Embassy, a team from Himalayan Rescue Association flew to the area, and found four porters alive. They were later evacuated to Pokhara. Seven French climbers and 11 support staff, including porters, were missing.
HRA immediately coordinated a 'Search and Rescue'. But bad weather delayed their departure until Monday, October 24. On Tuesday October 25, the body of a French climber was found. He has been identified as Mr. Bruno Chardin. His body was brought to Kathmandu on 26 October 2005.
On the 31st of October 2005 a second rescue team was launched. The group was made up of 25 Nepali 'Search and Rescue' members, 5 French 'Search and Rescue' members, 2 mountain rescue dogs (brought from France) and 7 kitchen support staff. The team reported that the body of an unidentified French climber was found on 11 November 2005 at 02.10 pm local time.
Nepal is a multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-ethnic society. The Nepalese are descendants of three major migrations from India, Tibet, and Central Asia.
Among the earliest inhabitants were the Newar of the Kathmandu Valley and aboriginal Tharu in the Southern Terai region. The ancestors of the Brahman and Chetri caste groups came from India, while other ethnic groups trace their origins to Central Asia and Tibet, including the Gurung and Magar in the West, Rai and Limbu in the East, and Sherpa and Bhotia in the North.
Iman Singh Gurung had summited Everest via the North Col route on May22, 2001. He owned his own trekking company, Chure Himal Treks. He was the head of the Nepali team working for the French Kang Guru expedition.
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