Photo: Emad aljumah / Moment / Getty Images
Two American women and their guides were killed while trying to climb Mount Shishapangma in Tibet after getting caught in avalanches on Saturday (October 7).
Anna Gutu and her Nepalese guide, Mingmar Sherpa, were pronounced dead by the Chinese state-owned Xinhua News Agency. A second avalanche killed Gina Marie Rzucidlo and her Nepalese guide, Tenjen Sherpa.
Both women were separately attempting to become the first American woman to scale the world's 14 tallest peaks. Mount Shishapangma was the final mountain on their list.
One of the other guides on the mountain, Karma Geljen Sherpa, survived the avalanche and was escorted down the mountain by rescue crews. He suffered severe injuries and remains hospitalized in stable condition.
Rzucidlo and her guide were initially declared missing, but Chinese officials refused to authorize a rescue mission due to the unsafe conditions on the mountain. Rzucidlo's mother said she was about 260 feet from the summit when the avalanche struck.
"We have been told the search for their bodies may resume in the spring once weather conditions are favorable," Rzucidlo's sister wrote on Facebook. "Thank you to everyone who has reached out and kept us in their thoughts. We appreciate every prayer that was made, hoping for a miracle."
There were a total of 52 climbers attempting to summit Mount Shishapangma on Saturday. After the avalanches, officials made the decision to close down the mountain for the rest of the season.