Everest Sherpas May Go on Strike

Sherpas who toil on Mount Everest are considering a “work stoppage” after the Nepalese government offered meager compensation to the families of those killed. At least 13 died in last week’s avalanche, which marked the worst single-day death toll in Everest history. On Sunday, the government offered 40,000 rupees, or just $408, to the loved ones of Sherpas killed in the accident. The Nepal Mountaineering Association has pressed the government to increase the compensation to $1,041, but many disappointed Sherpas proposed going on strike to protest. Some had already decided to quit scaling the most imposing mountain on earth after, as one Sherpa caught in the avalanche said, seeing “the hands and legs of climbers scattered around the avalanche site.”