The family of Dan Fredinburg has confirmed that he was killed today in the avalanche on Mount Everest following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake. Fredinburg, age 33, was an executive at Google, and was hiking with other Google employees when the avalanche hit.

Fredinburg, whose job title was ‘Google Adventurer’, used to photograph the world’s high peaks for Google Maps. He was also head of privacy for the firm’s elusive invention factory Google X.

Fredinburg’s death was first confirmed by his younger sister Megan, who posted a picture of her brother climbing a mountain to his Instagram account with an explanatory caption.

She wrote: ‘This is Dan’s 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.’

There are now 18 confirmed deaths on Mount Everest. The three other Google employees with Fredinburg are safe, and Google confirmed that they are working on getting them out of the country.

The current death toll has risen in Nepal to at least 1500 people.