18 Killed in Everest Plane Crash

Buddha Air plane was carrying 2 Americans

(AP) - A plane carrying tourists to view Mount Everest crashed while attempting to land in Nepal today, killing all 19 people on board, including 13 foreigners. Ten Indians, two Americans, and one Japanese citizen were among the victims, Tourism Secretary Ganeshraj Joshi said. The turboprop plane belonging to Buddha Air was also carrying three Nepalese passengers and three crew members when it crashed in Bisankunarayan village, just a few miles south of Katmandu. More»

(NEWSER) - Nepal's once-pristine natural beauty has been ravaged by years of civil war, neglect, and corruption, the Washington Post reports. Dangerous levels of pollution now cloud Kathmandu, forcing many residents to wear masks. Even the top of Mount Everest is marred by litter left behind by generations of climbers, and many warn the government that the tourists vital to the country's economy will start staying away if it doesn't take action. More»

Flame will ascend Everest next month

(NEWSER) - Nepal has plans for protesters intent on disrupting the Olympic flame's ascent up Mount Everest, the AP reports. An official today authorized the use of deadly force "to stop any protest on the mountain using whatever means necessary." Climbers are scheduled to reach the summit in the border region between Nepal and Tibet early next month. More»

Flights canceled, they spend four days in foothills

(NEWSER) - A heavy fog has shrouded the only Mount Everest-area airport, shutting down flights and leaving some 1,200 foreign hikers stranded in the foothills. A few have caught helicopter rides out of the area, but many have spent four days at an altitude of 9,200 feet, living in Tenzing-Hillary Airport and tents at local hotels, the AP reports. More»

Nepal, China squabbling over behemoth's actual height

(NEWSER) - Mount Everest stands at a towering 29,029 feet—officially. And that number is causing quite the diplomatic fracas. China and Nepal have been arguing over the height of the mountain, which falls on the Nepal side of the Nepal-China border, and how it's measured. China believes the rock height is the one that counts, while Nepal prefers the snow height, which happens to be 13 feet taller. And so Nepal has decided to re-survey the mountain, in an effort expected to take two years, reports the BBC . More»