text: Amanda Holden today revealed that her sister is trapped on Mount Everest after the devastating earthquake – but said her life may have been saved because she had altitude sickness. The TV presenter said her sister, Debbie, had managed to contact the family to say she was safe after a 7.9-magnitude quake struck Nepal on Saturday, killing more than 4,000 people. She said: 'It's awful, I can barely speak. I'm still quite numb. It's hard to take in what an awful situation it is in Nepal.' In a fortunate twist, she said Debbie had not yet reached Everest Base Camp, where a deadly avalanche hit, because she was ill and had stopped off to recover. Numb: Amanda Holden has told how her sister is trapped on Mount Everest after the devastating earthquake . 'Awful situation': The TV presenter said her sister, Debbie (pictured, left, in 2005 and, right, in 1998) had managed to contact the family to say she was safe after a 7.9-magnitude quake struck Nepal on Saturday . Amateur video footage shows how a group of climbers ran for their lives as the Nepal earthquake hit at Everest Base Camp yesterday . Holden, who was interviewing search and rescue experts on ITV's This Morning, said: 'Very luckily she is at a place that is the last camp before you get to Base Camp one on the south side. 'There was only four of them left at that camp. Because my sister was suffering so badly from altitude sickness she didn't walk up to base camp – which potentially might have saved her life.' She said her sister, a scuba-diving instructor, had been able to send a text message to her family from a friend's phone to say she was safe. She said: 'I think they rushed out when the earthquake came and rushed back in because they were affected by an avalanche partly at the camp they were in... and I think they were going to make their way down this morning.' Holden said there was a possibility that her sister had been airlifted from the mountain this morning or could even have walked back down. Speaking later on Sky News, she said Debbie had sent an e-mail saying that she had made it safely to another camp further down the mountain. Appearing close to tears, she said: 'We are extremely lucky. I'm dying to hear her voice.' Holden (pictured, above, on This Morning with Phillip Schofield) said her sister Debbie had not yet reached Everest Base Camp, where a deadly avalanche hit, because she was ill and had stopped off to recover . Holden and her husband Chris Hughes were pictured in Manchester after having lunch together on Saturday . Medics and experts from the UK are in the country already and the UK International Search and Rescue team also dispatched crews destined for Kathmandu. The Foreign Office said it had not received reports of any Britons being killed or injured but embassy staff had assisted 200 people. A total of 90 British and Irish-born people are among the missing, according to a website set up for the families by the International Committee of the Red Cross. In a message to Nepalese President Ram Baran Yadav, the Queen said today that she was 'shocked to hear of the appalling loss of life and injuries' caused by the earthquake, adding that her 'thoughts and prayers are with the victims'. It came after terrified British newlyweds last night described how they cheated death as an avalanche triggered by the Nepal earthquake hit their Everest camp. Sam and Alexandra Chappatte found themselves having to cling to ice axes to avoid being swept away by deadly ice and snow . As the quake reduced many of the country's most famous landmarks to rubble, honeymooners Sam and Alexandra Chappatte found themselves having to cling to ice axes to avoid being swept away by deadly ice and snow. The couple have now been caught up in Everest's two most deadly disasters, after their first attempt at climbing the world's highest peak was ended last year when an avalanche hit the Khumbu Icefall, killing 16 guides. They were forced to abandon their ascent but remortgaged their flat in Notting Hill, West London, to fund a second attempt. The pair, who married earlier this month, described on their internet blog the terrifying moment the quake hit during their second bid to make it to the summit. They had left Base Camp and climbed across the Khumbu Icefall to make it to Camp 1 at 19,800ft (6,035m) when powerful tremors shook the ground. The couple, both 28, wrote: 'The earthquake hit about 30 minutes after we had crossed the icefall and found our tents. 'The ground started shaking violently but before we could react Dan [Mazur, their climbing group leader] was shouting, 'Get out of your f****** tents, grab your ice axes!' 'We staggered out to see an avalanche coming straight at us. A blast of wind knocked us down but we were able to get up and run to shelter behind some tents and anchor ourselves with our axes. 'We focused on keeping an air hole so we could breathe in the powder.' The couple are part of a 11-strong group of climbers led by Dan Mazur, from Bristol, who tweeted 'please pray for everyone' in the immediate aftermath of Saturday's quake in Nepal. Some 30 climbers are now stranded at Camp One as debris from the avalanche has blocked the Khumbu Icefall below them. Disaster: Homes have been reduced to piles of rubble in Bhaktapur near the capital of Kathmandu . The camp was also hit by a powerful aftershock yesterday, triggering three more avalanches. Meanwhile chaos broke out in Kathmandu as passengers attempted to fight their way into the international airport in a bid to leave the country. The city was one of the worst affected areas and centuries of history were destroyed in minutes as the quake saw many of the country's most famous landmarks destroyed. The Dharahara Tower was brought down and historic temples in Durbar Square collapsed. Yesterday 24-year-old Briton Tara Bradshaw from Brighton – who was feared missing – managed to get in contact her family to let them know that she was safe. In touch: Tara Bradshaw from Brighton, East Sussex, managed to get in touch with her family and tell them she was safe . Collapse: The historic, 200ft Dharahara tower in central Kathmandu before and after the earthquake . Debris: A Buddha statue survived the carnage after a temple collapsed in the city . And the Chappattes also were able to let their loved ones know they were 'okay'. But one of their worried relatives appealed for helicopter rescue for the group of around 100 climbers and sherpas trapped between two camps on Everest, where up to 18 people are thought to have perished on Saturday. Sarah Chappatte wrote on the couple's blog: 'All reports confirm that the icefall is now impassable so there is no way to climb down. More aftershocks are being reported as I write. 'They have enough food and enough supplies for a few days and some of the climbers are beginning to suffer from altitude sickness. Now we need to get them out.'
target: TV presenter said sister Debbie had contacted family to say she was safe .
  She said: 'I can barely speak and I'm still quite numb. It's an awful situation'
  Says her sister may have been airlifted from the mountain this morning .