Two Manitoba climbers were on Everest when avalanche hit

WINNIPEG — Two Manitoba climbers were on Everest when a deadly earthquake and avalanche happened.

Joan and Kelsey Griffith Parker, a mother and daughter climbing team, had just left the Everest base camp when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal, creating an avalanche on the mountain.

Lauren, the daughter and sister of the women, spoke to Global News Sunday afternoon, saying they received a call from Joan and Kelsey shortly after the avalanche.

“We had a message saying they are fine and doing well,” she explained.

“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, ” Lauren added.

The pair had actually just began their descent two days before the earthquake hit.

Joan and Kelsey had been on their journey for about a month, and were planning on flying to Europe on Friday from Kathmandu.

The pair are members of the Alpine Club of Canada, according to Paul Hrynkow, of the St. Boniface chapter of the the Alpine Club of Canada.

They climbed the ice tower in St. Boniface the past few winters, he said.

The most recent death toll from the earthquake in Nepal is more than 2,500.