This week, two climbers from the Philippines and India lost their lives on Mount Everest, the first deaths of the current spring climbing season.
New Delhi:Tragedy struck the slopes of Mount Everest this week as two climbers — one from India and another from the Philippines — lost their lives during separate expeditions, marking the first reported deaths of the current spring climbing season on the world’s highest peak.
After safely reaching the summit of the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) mountain, 45-year-old Indian climber Subrata Ghosh passed away on Thursday while descending, according to officials from Nepal’s tourist department and expedition organizers. According to reports, he declined to descend from just below the Hillary Step, a perilous and constrained route close to the summit that is situated in the notorious “death zone” of Everest.
“He eventually passed away due to resistance to descend at that altitude,” stated Bodhraj Bhandari of Snowy Horizon Treks and Expedition, the organization in charge of the ascent. Ghosh’s cause of death is still unknown, and efforts are being made to recover his body for post-mortem examination and more research.
Between the South Col and the summit, the Hillary Step—named for Sir Edmund Hillary—is located in a location over 8,000 meters where oxygen levels are dangerously low, making even simple movements physically taxing.
In a different event, 45-year-old Philipp II Santiago of the Philippines passed away late Wednesday at the South Col while climbing. He was really tired, but he had made it to the fourth camp. Himal Gautam, a representative of Nepal’s Department of Tourism, verified that he passed away while sleeping in his tent.
A global expedition team headed by Snowy Horizon Treks included both climbers. Since the season started in March, hundreds of climbers and their Sherpa guides have already reached the summit of Everest, and Nepal has given 459 climbing licenses for the mountain this spring. Usually, the climbing season ends by the end of May, right before the arrival of the monsoon.
For Nepal, mountaineering continues to be a vital source of income and jobs. But there are still a lot of risks associated with Everest treks. Data from the Himalayan Database shows that over 345 climbers have died on the mountain in the last century. In the final weeks of the season, authorities have advised climbers to strictly follow safety procedures and to be aware of the health dangers associated with altitude.