KATHMANDU, Nepal, April 21 (UPI) -- Following an avalanche on Mount Everest that killed at least 13 mountaineers on Friday, some Sherpas are calling for a strike.

Friday's avalanche marked the highest death toll in a single day in the history of Everest.


Sherpa guides earn between $3,000 and $5,000 during the high-altitude climbing season, and are in increasingly higher demand by affluent clients as more people scale the mountain each year.

The Nepali government offered the families of the dead Sherpas approximately $408 in compensation, prompting some Sherpas to propose a strike that could affect this season's 334 planned climbing expeditions.

Nepal Mountaineering Association President Ang Tshering is attempting to raise the compensation to $1,041 for each family. The dispute, he said, "has not yet been resolved."

[New York Times]