In this May 22 2013 file photo, climbers descend Khumbu Icefall on their way back to Base Camo after summitting the 8,850-meter (29,035-foot) Mount Everest.Pasang Geljen Sherpa/The Associated Press
Nepalese officials say they're adding more medical staff at Mount Everest's base camp and will speed up rescue efforts during the current climbing season.
The moves come after 16 local guides were killed by an avalanche last year in the deadliest disaster ever on the world's highest peak.
Devi Bahadur Koirala of the Himalayan Rescue Association Nepal said Tuesday that four doctors would be stationed in the base camp's emergency room tent, which will be equipped to handle almost any medical need.
Koirala said plans have been made to enable sick or injured climbers to be airlifted from the mountain by rescue helicopters within 90 minutes.
Nepal's popular spring climbing season, when hundreds of foreigners and their local guides attempt to scale Everest, runs from March 1 to May 31.