Jonathan Griffith: British photographer injured in 'terrifying fight' between climbers and Sherpas close to the peak of Mount Everest British photographer Jonathan Griffith said to have been injured Mr Griffith was scaling peak with a Swiss and an Italian climber A trio of climbers have told how they were attacked by an 'out-of-control mob' of up to 100 Sherpas in a terrifying ordeal near the summit of Mount Everest. Climber Simone Moro, who was scaling the peak along with British photographer Jonathan Griffith and Swiss climber Ueli Steck when the row erupted on Saturday, claims the Sherpas threatened to kill the trio. Mr Moro, from Italy, said the Sherpa guides punched, kicked and threw stones at the European climbers after accusing them of kicking ice onto them. 'Brawl': British Alpine photographer Jonathan Griffith (right) was accompanying Swiss climber Ueli Steck (left) and Italian Simone Moro to document their Everest ascent Recounting the incident on the world's highest mountain, Mr Moro said: 'The Sherpas tried to kill three visiting climbers.' The Europeans had left Camp 2 at 8am to reach a tent at around 7,200 meters on the Lhotse face. A group of Sherpas was fixing ropes and the Europeans, who were not using ropes, carefully stepped over the lines, he said. Mr Moro said when the Sherpa spotted the Europeans he 'began shouting and banging the ice with his axe erratically'. He continued: 'Still shouting down at the climbers, he fixed his rope and abseiled down to the belay stance. As Ueli was soloing and therefore not attached to a rope it was natural that he should hold his hands up to take the impact of the force arriving on him from the lead climber abseiling right on to him. Experienced: Swiss mountaineer Ueli Steck is understood to have scaled many of the world's most treacherous peaks This prompted the lead climber to accuse Ueli Steck of "touching him." In between hitting the ice with all his force and screaming at Ueli Steck "why you touch me" he said that they had kicked ice down on them and injured a Sherpa. Mr Moro said they had been 'climbing a completely independent line and entirely on snow' so this was 'highly unlikely'. He said the lead climber then turned on him, wielding his ice axe in his direction. The Sherpa then ordered his team of 17 Sherpas off the Lhotse face and back to Camp 2. The Europeans said by the time they descended back to Camp 2 about 100 Sherpas had grouped together to attack them. Mr Moro described the Sherpas as 'an out-of-control mob'. He said: 'They became instantly aggressive and not only punched and kicked but threw many rocks as well'. A small group of Westerners allegedly acted as a buffer and the trio of European climbers said they owed their lives to these 'brave and selfless people'. Mr Moro said: 'Whatever the reason may be, there is no reason to instigate vigilante rule and to try and kill three visiting climbers'. The police, the Ministry of Tourism and the head of the Sherpa Association are investigating the incident. A Nepalese newspaper said that all three climbers were injured when the brawl broke out. Their tents were also damaged. The Nepali Times said that the incident 'seems to point to a clash of civilisations and two types of climbing styles, as well as between commercial expeditions and purists.' The fight, said the paper, 'was bound to happen sooner or later.' Mr Griffith, it emerged, was the photographer who was recording the ascent of the two experienced European climbers. The fierce fight, which unfolded close to Camp 3 and not far from the 8,848m summit, was so intense that an American witness was 'terrified' that someone would be killed. The US climber who witnessed the fight, during which Sherpas pelted the Europeans' tent with stones and punches were thrown, said by telephone today: 'It was terrifying to watch - they (the Europeans) nearly got killed.' Insisting on anonymity, the US climber told AFP by satellite phone that Steck and Moro were asked to wait on the mountain while a group of Nepalese Sherpas rigged up some ropes. That is when the trouble began, he said. The American said that the Europeans, accompanied by a photographer, ignored the request to wait and continued climbing. 'The Sherpas told the team not to climb above them while they were fixing the ropes but they did it anyway,' said the witness. Then some ice fell and hit the Sherpas, which made them very angry. Simone Moro: The Italian climber, who has climbed Everest four times, is understood to have been attempting to reach the summit by a new route without supplementary oxygen The incident simmered and later in the day 'a furious mob' of Sherpas stormed up towards the climbers' tents and pelted them with stones until the men came out. A bitter shouting match followed and punches were thrown. After a while the mob left and the climbers packed up and walked past us down. As far as we knew they were leaving the mountain,' said the US climber. It was terrifying to watch - they nearly got killed. Mr Anish Gupta from a Kathmandu-based company that organised the climb said today that he had been told the Europeans disagreed with the instructions of the Sherpa guides and went ahead over some icy terrain. 'We understand that at some point the foreign climbers kicked some ice back and it hit one of the Sherpa guides, causing the fight to start,' said Mr Gupta. 'Terrifying': British mountaineering photographer Jonathan Griffith is reported to have been accompanying Steck and Moro on the ascent Police Constable Raj Kumar from the mountain town of Lukia said that Steck had spent the night at a small hospital near the town's airport but he was 'totally normal' and did not show any sign of injuries. Earlier today Steck flew by helicopter back to the Everest base camp, where he joined Moro, who had remained on the mountain. The last Constable Kumar had heard was that the two climbers were trying to decide whether they should try again to reach the summit. Mr Ngima Nuru Sherpa, director of Choyu Treks, which helped organise the climb, said the climbers had initially been warned to remain at base camp amid fears they would cause further friction if they attempted to continue to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu. Mr Sitaram Karki, Chief District Officer of the Solukhumbu region of Mt Everest, said after the incident that he and his officers were deeply disturbed at hearing of the fight - and he suggested that it was the guides who had started it. Sherpa people are an ethnic group from the mountainous region of Nepal. They are regarded as elite mountaineers and experts in navigating the local terrain in the Himalayas. Sherpas have long served as guides for mountaineers attempting to tackle the extreme altitudes of the world's highest peak. Since legendary explorer Sir Edmund Hilary reached the summit with the help of Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay in 1953, Mount Everest has been synonymous with ambition and endurance. But critics claim that many climbers attempting to scale the world's highest peak today are not elite mountaineering experts, but thrill-seeking amateurs eager to take advantage of the boom in commercial Everest expeditions. Where once only the most skilled mountaineers would attempt to reach the summit, less experienced clients can now pay around £17,000 to join an expedition, along with the additional cost of an Everest permit - anywhere from £6,500 to £17,000. Deadly: This shocking photograph shows a line of climbers snaking down Mount Everest as they try to take advantage of good conditions Experts have warned that too many people are trying to make the ascent at the same time, creating dangerous overcrowding on already perilous routes. More than 220 people have died trying to scale Mount Everest. There have been instances of queues snaking down the mountain as climbers scramble to take advantage of windows of opportunity in the treacherous Himalayan weather conditions to reach the summit. Mountaineering experts have pointed out the dangers of lingering for long periods on the mountainside in sub-zero temperatures, with climbers running the risk of developing frostbite or using up their entire oxygen supply. Climbers hell-bent on reaching the top have been accused of turning the Hillary Step - a 40ft spur of rock and frozen snow 180ft from the summit - into a deadly bottleneck in peak conditions during May and November. Peter Gillman, a mountaineer and the author of several books on Everest, has previously said that climbing the mountain has become 'a bit of a sham', as serious climbers are put off by thrill-seekers who will pay any price to realise their ambition of scaling the peak. Someone will carry your oxygen, someone else your spare bag. If you've paid enough money, sherpas will drag you up on a short rope. They've even been known to lift and place climbers" feet one in front of the other on the way down,' he said.