Quake-triggered avalanche kills Nepali guide

KATHMANDU: A 43-year-old Nepali guide died and a British climber was injured on Monday when an earthquake triggered an avalanche on the Himalayan peak they were climbing, an expedition operator said.

They were part of a 13-member team climbing the 6,812-metre Ama Dablam peak in the Everest region when the 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck early on Monday.

"The avalanche occurred after the quake hit," Iswari Paudel, managing director of Himalayan Guides, told AFP.

"The two were airlifted but the guide died on the way. The British climber suffered minor injuries and is undergoing treatment in Kathmandu."

Paudel said all other team members are safe.

Nepal is recovering from a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake last year that killed 9,000 people, including 18 who died when an avalanche hit the Everest base camp.

In April 2014 16 guides were killed on Mount Everest when an avalanche struck, causing a virtual shutdown of the world´s highest peak for the remainder of the season.

Mountaineering is a major revenue-earner for the impoverished Himalayan nation, home to eight of the world´s 14 peaks over 8,000 metres.