Google executive among those killed on Everest after massive Nepal earthquake

A woman who identified herself as Fredinburg's younger sister, Megan, said on his Instagram page that he had a major head injury after the avalanche triggered by the quake. He didn't survive.

The catastrophic earthquake Saturday killed more than 1,300 people and leveled ancient buildings in the Nepali capital of Kathmandu. The quake was so strong that it also killed people in nearby India, Bangladesh, and Tibet.

Fredinburg - who was head of privacy for Google X - survived last year's deadly avalanche on Mount Everest, according to media reports and his Instagram account.

Earlier this month, he was featured in an article in the Guardian about his 2015 adventures on Everest with two other Google employees.

"They're not licensed to talk on Google's behalf to journalists and Google's press office declines to confirm any details," the Guardian noted. "But last month, Google announced that it had joined up with a local non-profit organisation to launch a Street View of the trek into base camp and it's an open secret that another Street View camera is being carried to the summit."

Fredinburg posted this to Instagram three months ago:

A 2004 graduate of the University of California, Irvine, Fredinburg has worked for Google for eight years, according to his LinkedIn profile. He described himself on his Twitter page as an "adventurer, inventor, and energetic engineer."

Here's the entire Instagram post that the woman identified as his sister wrote:

This is Dans little sister Megan. I regret to inform all who loved him that during the avalanche on Everest early this morning our Dan suffered from a major head injury and didn't make it. 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. 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. Thank you.

Two other people in Fredinburg's group faced non-life-threatening injuries, according to Jagged Globe, the group he was hiking with.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to Dan's family and friends whilst we pray too for all those who have lost their lives in one of the greatest tragedies ever to hit this Himalayan nation," the group said in a statement.

Last year around this time, Fredinburg posted this image of Everest base camp:

The avalanche at Everest in 2013 killed 16 sherpas, after which Fredinburg posted this on Instagram:

Today we paid our respects to the 16 lost in the icefall and attended a Sherpa rally afterwards. I gave my thanks to the Sherpa community for the chance to be one of very few to go on the mountain this year."

Google released this statement on Saturday:

I just had the immensely sad task of sending the following to all Google employees. My thoughts are with everyone in Nepal, and with Dan's family and friends.

"Early this morning, Nepal experienced the worst earthquake in its history, registering 7.8 on the Richter Scale. Current reports are that over 1,000 people were killed. It's a terrible tragedy.

Sadly, we lost one of our own in this tragedy. +Dan Fredinburg a long-time member of the Privacy organization in Mountain View, was in Nepal with three other Googlers, hiking Mount Everest. He has passed away. The other three Googlers with him are safe and we are working to get them home quickly.

The Crisis Response team has launched Person Finder[1] for Nepal, and is working to get updated satellite imagery to aid in the recovery effort. Google.org is committing $1M to the response, and we'll have gift-matching available soon.

Our thoughts are with the people of Nepal, and with Dan's family and friends during this terrible time."