Google executive killed on Everest after Nepal quake
SAN FRANCISCO, United States—A Google executive and self-described adventurer was among 10 people killed at a Mount Everest base camp in an avalanche triggered by a major Nepal earthquake Saturday, the company and his family said.
Dan Fredinburg was killed in the avalanche that buried parts of the base camp where hundreds of mountaineers were gathered for the start of the climbing season.
This July 31, 2013, file photo shows Sophia Bush, left, and Dan Fredinburg arriving at the Do Something Awards at the Avalon in Los Angeles. Fredinburg, a Google executive who described himself as an adventurer, was among the hundreds who died in a massive earthquake that struck Nepal on Saturday, April 25, 2015. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
He was with several colleagues who survived the tragedy, Lawrence You, director of privacy at Google, said in a blog post.
“Sadly, we lost one of our own in this tragedy. Dan Fredinburg, a long-time member of the Privacy organization… was in Nepal with three other Googlers, hiking Mount Everest. He has passed away,” You wrote.
“The other three Googlers with him are safe and we are working to get them home quickly.”
You said Google.org was contributing $1 million to the response efforts.
Fredinburg’s sister Megan said he died of a head trauma.
“We appreciate all of the love that has been sent our way thus far and know his soul and his spirit will live on in so many of us,” she posted on his Instagram feed, along with a photo of him scaling a snowy slope.
“All our love and thanks to those who shared this life with our favorite hilarious strong-willed man. He was and is everything to us,” she posted.
Fredinburg described himself as an “Adventurer, Inventor, and Energetic Engineer @Google” on his Twitter page.
Photos on his Twitter and Instagram accounts in recent days show him preparing for his trek on the snowy slopes of Everest with colleagues.
“Ice training with @micbattelli means frequent stops for morning cappuccino, regardless of danger. #Everest2015,” his last post on Friday read.
His Twitter feed said he arrived in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu on March 31.
Fredinburg’s LinkedIn profile said he was head of privacy at Google X and had previously worked as an engineer for Boeing.
Officials have confirmed more than 1,200 deaths after the massive earthquake that tore through Nepal, making it the worst disaster in more than 80 years in the quake-prone nation.
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