‘We are taking one day a time...but us Derry ones are made of strong stuff,’ says local survivor

Amy Webster (24) told the Sentinel there were a succession of avalanches following the earthquake and a major aftershock.

Despite parts of the trail down Everest having been destroyed as a result, Amy, her boyfriend Ryan and three others from England, Sweden and the Czech Republic took the brave decision to try and make their way down off the world’s largest mountain.

Speaking on Sunday (April 26) from their lodge at Gorak Shep, Amy said she and her boyfriend narrowly avoided the initial massive avalanche which fell between the two places, as Ryan had taken ill and they had been forced to turn back.

“About one hour before the earthquake happened we were on the way to Base Camp, about half way there. We turned around and we were really disappointed but so glad we didn’t go after what happened. That was just an hour or so before the earthquake

“There is just devastation everywhere and from what we are hearing there are 30 people dead at Base Camp.”

Amy has been helping to tend to those who are arriving with injuries as a first aider.

She said: “Things here are very up and down at the minute.

“People are gradually arriving here. The lodge we are staying in has been set up as a makeshift hospital, mainly for those with minor injuries, broken bones.

“Everyone is trying to get away from Base Camp- there has been four to five avalanches today alone.

“There was another aftershock that measured 6.7 on the Richter scale.”

Amy, who has been in contact with her family in Londonderry, said she and her boyfriend had been travelling in Nepal and had planned to stay for another two months, but were hoping now to get home once they get off Everest.

She said: “We have decided to try and walk down as it’s a better chance of getting out.

“We don’t know if the bridges are still there but bits of the path have collapsed the whole way along.”

She added that from where they are they can see aircraft flying past all morning, trying to get to the wounded and to collect the dead from the mountain side.

“There is not enough fuel for all the helicopters. We have to walk out,” she said.

“We are taking one day a time at the minute, but us Derry ones are made of strong stuff.”

Speaking yesterday Amy’s mother Bernie said: “They headed down the mountain yesterday towards Pheriche but when they got there it had been devastated and everyone had left.”

Rescue efforts have been ongoing to try and reach the injured meanwhile in Kathmandu, following the Earthquake and aftershocks.

Local people are being urged to keep Amy and others in Nepal in their thoughts.