WATCH ABOVE: Video captures avalanche hitting Mount Everest base camp
Terrifying new video shows the instant a group of climbers on Mount Everest were forced to run for their lives after an avalanche was triggered by the massive earthquake that struck Nepal, killing at least 3,200 people.
The video was captured by German Climber Jost Kobusch and posted to YouTube Sunday, showing base camp moments before and after the avalanche that killed at least 18 people on Everest and injured dozens of others.
READ MORE: More than 3,200 confirmed dead in Nepal quake as aftershocks terrify survivors
“The ground was shaking from the earthquake and as soon as we saw people running we were running ourselves to save our lives,” Kobusch wrote on his YouTube page.
The video begins with a calm shot panning across the sprawling camp of tents, where mountaineers begin their journey towards the world’s highest peak.
Panic quickly sets in as a huge cloud of snow and debris can be seen rushing towards the encampment, sending climbers heading for their tents. Kobusch then dives behind a tent to wait out the avalanche that rolls over top of the campsite.
WATCH: Climber captures avalanche on Mount Everest following earthquake
A similar video was captured by Danish climber Carsten Lillelund Pedersen, who posted the video to Facebook.
According to Nepalese tourism officials, roughly 1,000 climbers, including about 400 foreigners, had been at base camp or on the ascent to Everest’s peak when the 7.9 earthquake hit.
Edmonton’s, Alan Hancock, who is attempting to become the first Canadian to summit the world’s 14 tallest peaks, told Global News via satellite phone he was forced to dig himself out following the avalanche.
“An avalanche hit us, just about buried us in our tents, we had to use our knives to cut our way out … After that, myself and two sherpas had to do a rescue of a teammate,” Hancock said.
READ MORE: ‘Chaos’ at Nepal airport, says Montreal woman stranded by massive earthquake
Joan and Kelsey Griffith Parker, a mother and daughter climbing team from Winnipeg, were also at the base camp during the avalanche.
Lauren, daughter and sister of the pair, spoke to Global News Sunday and said they received a call from the two climbers shortly after the avalanche.
“We had a message saying they are fine and doing well,” Lauren said. “We were really worried because we knew they were at the Everest Base Camp and the articles I was reading said that’s where the avalanche hit, and we didn’t know if they were okay. ”
Meanwhile, the family of Ottawa resident Faye Kennedy who was hiking the Langtang National Park in Nepal is desperate for news about their loved one.
“The shelter there, the teahouses, have been flattened and this is where the trekkers are supposed to be staying,” said Justin Piche, Kennedy’s brother-in-law.
Canada has dispatched its full disaster assistance response team, known as the DART, to areas of Nepal devastated by the earthquake.
The highly specialized disaster assistance response team consisting of search and rescue and medical personnel departed on a C-17 transport Sunday night, which is also carrying over 36,000 kilograms of medical and humanitarian supplies.
*With files from Caley Ramsey and Tamara Forlanski
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