Australian and three Tibetans die in avalanche on Mount Everest

Chinese state media say an Australian man and three Tibetans died in an avalanche on Mount Everest.

The Australian Embassy confirmed the death of a 60-year-old from southern Australia in Tibet. It said consular officials in Beijing were attempting to contact the man’s family to offer assistance.

State broadcaster CCTV said an “illegal foreign tourist group organised by a Tibetan tourist agency” entered an area of Mount Everest that is not approved for tourism on Sunday. It said the tourists encountered an avalanche later that day and that one Australian and three local herders died.

It said 154 people stranded by the avalanche were rescued Tuesday, 86 at the Everest base camp on the mountain’s Chinese side.

Calls to local authorities were either unanswered or officials declined to provide information.