A helicopter evacuated injured climbers from Mount Everest on Saturday, two days after they were hit by an avalanche on the world's highest peak, rescuers said. The helicopter safely brought back two American, two Canadian and a Nepalese Sherpa guide to the capital Katmandu, where they were being treated for the injuries. They had been stranded on the base camp since Thursday when a powerful avalanche swept through down the slopes. Snow and high winds abated sufficiently Saturday for the rescue helicopter to land at the base camp. No one was killed in Thursday's avalanche, which swept through the first of four camps set up between Everest's base camp and the mountain's 8,850-meter (29,035-foot) summit. For two days, snow and high winds prevented helicopters from evacuating the injured from the base camp, which is located at an elevation of 5,300 meters (17,400 feet). There are no roads to the camp and the only other way to reach it is to hike for a week to the nearest airstrip.
