Former Idaho Marine Attempting Everst Safe After Earthquake

BOISE, Idaho (KTVB) -- A former U.S. Marine and amputee from Boise may have to cancel his second attempt to scale Mount Everest after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes Nepal, killing hundreds. According to a report from the Associated Press, the Nepal quake triggered an avalanche that socked a Mount Everest base camp. Right now, the death toll is at more than 3,617 and is expected to climb. Friends of Boise veteran Charlie Linville tell KTVB that the climber is safe. They say Linville is currently at the base camp on the Tibet side of the mountain range, though there have been some aftershocks and slides in that area, as well.

Linville, his guides and fellow climbers are weighing their options, trying to figure out what to do next. Friends say one of those options could include canceling the climb. Linville, who is climbing with a team from the Heroes Project, had his right leg amputated after being hit by an explosive device during a tour in Afghanistan in 2010. He says his first attempt to climb Everest was cut short due to an avalanche that killed 16 Sherpas last year.