. >> reporter: gavin turner heard the massive avalanche. a wall of ice and snow. he thought he would die. >> it was coming down, and for a few seconds, i thought, this was going to take me out. >> just after 6:30 in the morning, a massive cleaving of ice and snow came down. a dozen sherpas killed. four missing. buried under the ice. helicopters carried the injured down the mountain. >> they were probably close together near the center of the avalanche. >> reporter: since the first summit in 1953, sherpas have been the backbone of those climbing to the top of the world. today, those killed setting ropes on the roadway up the mountain. mountain guide robert link has been on five expeditions and summited. give me a sense of what this is like for the climbing community. >> it's a black day around the world. they work hard, harder than anyone on the planet. >> reporter: eight lives were lost in a storm. neil beadleman got several safely down the mountain. chen things go wrong, things can go wrong in a big way in a hurry. >> reporter: at least 250 have al ready been kil

gavin turner was among those waiting below. >> experience was going well, then, sudden hi a huge thud we got covered by this cloud of snow. >> it happened nan area known as the pop corn field. 12 dead are all sherpas, guides from nepal. >> they're at risk because of the, how often they're carrying through this area. >> rescuers are searching for the missing. this climber remains in intensive care with several broken ribs but lucky to be alive. 4,000 climbers have scaled to the top of mount everest. mary bruce, los angeles >> pro testers are refusing to withdraw from ukraine. the protestors demanding the pro western government resign before they withdraw. they say they're ready to give the regions a greater say in local government and special status to the russian lang wash. >> a decision on the 1200 mile pipeline project has been put on hold. the state department announced today it will extend a review of public comments about the key stone pipeline. that is because in february a law allowed a pipeline to go through the state. the state department says the ruling could change where th

. >> gavin turner, thank you for talking to us. >>> more coming up including - it's africa's biggest economy. nigeria is missing out in billions in tax revenue. we tell you why. >> in sport he's back in the pool. what made michael phelps swim the wrong stroke during this race in arizona? >>> european diplomats agreed to hold emergency talks to discuss the crisis in ukraine. a drop of observers have been taken hostage by pro-russian gunmen. russia says it will take all steps to free them. experts in south sudan predict that some areas of the country could face famine by next year. the world's newest country is facing one of the world's newest chris sees - coupled with violence. >>> at least 180 people died in floods in north and western afghanistan. thousands have been displaced. many are in need of medicine and drinking water. >>> going back to the top story, and the crisis in ukraine, tensions in the east are threatening stability. a self-declared state between ukraine and moldova trying to formulate its soviet state. people are armed and ready to defend their land. >> reporter: the

guides had gone out early to fix ropes for climbers, including australian gavin turner. >> the experience was great. it was going well, and then suddenly there was a huge thud. we got covered by this enormous cloud of snow and snow dust, and, for a few seconds, i thought, wow, this is going to take me out. >> woodruff: hundreds of climbers and guides are at everest's base camp, preparing to scale the peak next month, when the weather is mildest. hope dimmed even further in south korea today for some 270 people, many of them high school students, who were on a ferry that capsized wednesday. rescue teams kept up their efforts even as the ship sank from view. jane dodge of independent television news narrates this report. >> reporter: a last glimpse of the "sewol" before it disappeared beneath the waves early this morning. two large inflatables now mark its position. the rescue operation has become more of a recovery process as bodies are brought ashore. there has been progress of sorts. divers managed to gain entry to part of the vessel. >> two divers opened the door of the cargo department

gavin turner was watching at base camp when the incident happened. >> the experience was great, it was going well. and then, suddenly, there was a huge thud. we got covered by this enormous cloud of snow and snow dust. for a few seconds, i thought, wow. this is going to maybe take me out. >> reporter: the avalanche happened right under camp 2, on the area of the mountain known as the popcorn field. it's 21,000 feet. allen arnett reached the summit of mt. everest back in 2011. >> the sherpas are more at risk because of the -- how often they're carrying and going through the ice wall in this particular area. >> reporter: gavin, from australia, who saw the avalanche, tells us that the sherpas are the backbone of the efforts of climbers to get to the summit. gavin says he's going to contemplate whether he stays on the mountain and makes an attempt at the top of the world in light of what happened this morning. >> that's understandable. >>> we're going to get the latest on the ferry disaster in south korea. almost 300 passengers still missing. the search, more and more desperate. the captai