Sherpa Dorje Khatri Reported Killed in Everest Avalanche

Nepalese Sherpa Dorje Khatri, leader of Nepal’s trade union of Sherpas and a committed defender of the environment, was reportedly amongst 12 people killed in one of the worst disasters on Mount Everest ever recorded. In 2011 Khatri planted the ITUC flag atop the peak of Everest as part of global mobilisation by unions pushing for action on climate change leading up to the Durban Climate Summit, which he attended.

Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary said, “Dorje Khatri has left an indelible footprint as a man committed to the wellbeing of others, and an activist on the frontline of climate action. We are devastated by the loss of this gentle but determined leader, one of the very elite of mountain climbers, and those who lost their lives with him.”

Khatri spent untold hours organising fellow Sherpas into their union to achieve decent wages and employment rights, matched by his work to show the damage caused by global warming to Everest, known as Chomolungma in his local language.

Dorje Khatri’s ITUC interview and video in Durban can be viewed here:
http://www.ituc-csi.org/from-the-summit-to-the-seaside-a