At least 10 Mount Everest climbers were killed and others are missing after a giant earthquake struck Nepal, and actress Sophia Bush’s ex-boyfriend, Dan Fredinburg, was among the dead.
Fredinburg, a Google executive who works in California, was scaling the mountain when the 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck on Saturday, triggering a number of avalanches on the mountain. Fredinburg was climbing with the U.K.-based outfit Jagged Edge, which announced his death Saturday on their website .
“It is with the greatest sorrow that we report the death of one of our Everest team members, Daniel Fredinburg. Two other team members have non-life threatening injuries, as a result of the avalanche that struck base camp during the earthquake and its aftershocks. They are being looked after in base camp. All Sherpas and other team members are uninjured and are safe in base camp or in Gorak Shep, a nearby cluster of tea houses and lodges.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Dan’s family and friends whilst we pray too for all those who have lost their lives in one of the greatest tragedies ever to hit this Himalayan nation.”
Fredinburg also climbed Everest last year, and actually survived an avalanche during his last trek.
Sophia Bush also wrote words of condolence for her ex-boyfriend, posting a long message on Instagram along with a picture of Fredinburg.
“There are no adequate words,” Bush wrote. “Today I find myself attempting to pick up the pieces of my heart that have broken into such tiny shards, I’ll likely never find them all. Today I, and so many of my loved ones, lost an incredible friend.”
She added:
“Please remember that each person who is now gone was someone’s Dan. Please remember that our time on this Earth is not guaranteed. Please tell those you love that you do. Right now. This very minute. And please send a kiss to the sky for my friend Dan. His energy is so big and so bright, and it’s all around us, so put some love toward him today. And then hug your loved ones again.”
Officials said there are many other Mount Everest climbers missing after the earthquake and avalanches. Many climbers who survived the quake sent messages describing the damage .
“Everest base camp huge earthquake then huge avalanche from pumori. Running for life from my tent. Unhurt. Many many people up the mountain,” Romanian mountaineer Alex Gavan tweeted.
Officials said finding the missing Mount Everest climbers could be a difficult task, and they say the death total on the mountain is likely to go up as more bodies are found.
[Image via Wikipedia]