Everest sherpas ditch climbing season

Nepalese guides on Everest say they are packing up and leaving the mountain after a meeting at which they decided to abandon this year's climbing season to honour colleagues killed in an avalanche.

"We had a long meeting this afternoon and we decided to stop our climbing this year to honour our fallen brothers. All sherpas are united in this," local guide, Tulsi Gurung, told AFP from base camp on Tuesday.

Another sherpa guide and an American climber at base camp confirmed the news, four days after a devastating avalanche which killed 13 sherpas and left another three missing, presumed dead.