6 killed in Everest avalanche

At least six climbers have been killed after an avalanche struckMount Everest early Friday, with all of the dead believed to be Nepalese sherpasworking on the peak ahead of the start of the climbing season, officials said Monday."Rescuers have already retrieved four bodies and they are now trying to pull out twomore bodies that are buried under snow," Ang Tshering Sherpa, president of theNepal Mountaineering Association, told AFP.The avalanche occurred at around 6:45 am (0100 GMT) at an altitude of about 5,800metres (19,000 feet) in an area known as the "popcorn field" which lies on the routeinto the treacherous Khumbu icefall, Sherpa said.He said that many other climbers had also suffered injuries, but could not give exactnumbers.A tourism ministry official, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, said theclimbers were all of Nepalese origin and were preparing the route to the summitahead of the main climbing season which kicks off later this month."So far, we know that 14 Nepali climbers were taking equipment and baggage up tothe area, it is unclear how many have been hit," the official said.An executive at a US climbing company told CNN that the avalanche had struckwhile guides were preparing the route for mountaineers.