Nineteen bodies have been recovered from the Everest base camp which was hit by an avalanche following Saturday's 7.9-magnitude earthquake in Nepal, the Indian defence ministry said on Sunday."Nineteen bodies have been recovered from the Everest base camp. About 50 are injured," defence ministry spokesperson Sitanshu Kar tweeted on Sunday.
Six helicopters were sent to the avalanche-hit area on Saturday, but only two could operate because of inclement weather.
Tulsi Prasad Gautam, executive director of Nepal's department of tourism, told Xinhua that a few of the injured climbers were being treated in Pheriche village near Lukla.
Other climbers were on their way down from the base camp, Gautam said."One helicopter was sent this morning to bring the seriously injured to Kathmandu for specialised medical treatment," Gautam added.Saturday's earthquake, measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale, killed over 2,300 people and left 5,850 injured. The temblor had its epicentre in Lamjung district, around 75 km northwest of Kathmandu.It also triggered a series of avalanches which hit Mount Everest base camp. An expedition team of the Indian Army, already there, was helping in the relief and rescue efforts.