Above the clouds, climbers are struggling to scale Mount Everest, the highest peak on Earth.
The spring climbing season, which typically runs from April to May, is a narrow window of time when the weather is clear and winds are light, but that doesn’t guarantee safety: At least five people have died and three are missing since the season began, officials said.
These conditions lead to bottlenecks Disturbing video goes viral Long line of climbers Waiting precariously on the edge of the cliff.
The climbing sport’s popularity has sparked concerns in recent years that overcrowding, fierce competition and inadequate vetting of novice climbers are making the sport more dangerous.
I’m afraid more climbers will die.
Most climbers Climbing mountains from Nepal, The process involves a 10-day hike to base camp, a few weeks to acclimate to the altitude, and another week to reach the summit.
But the journey was very difficult. It is reported that more than 300 people have died on Mount Everest. An estimated 200 bodies remain there. Because they are so hard to retrieve.
Last spring set a grim record 18 people died, According to data from the mountaineering organization Himalayan Database, this year has the highest number of deaths on record in recent years.
Nepali officials have confirmed that at least five people have died this year and the toll is likely to rise.
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Nepali climber Binod Babu Bastakoti (37) died on Wednesday above the base of his summit attempt.
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Kenyan climber Joshua Cheruiyot Kirui (40) also died near the summit on Wednesday. His guide, Nawang Sherpa, remains missing.
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British climber Daniel Paul Paterson, 40, and his 23-year-old Nepali guide Pastenji Sherpa went missing on Tuesday when an ice mound collapsed near the summit.
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Romanian climber Gabriel Viorel Tabara (46) also died in his tent at Advanced Base Camp on Tuesday.
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On May 13, two Mongolian climbers — Usukhjargal Tsedendamba, 53, and Purevsuren Lkhagvajav, 31 — died while trying to summit Everest without supplemental oxygen and Sherpa guides.
The snow cornice collapsed, trapping the team of climbers.
A group of climbers was briefly stranded when a snow cornice collapsed near other climbers, causing several to fall.
Climbers were descending from the summit on Tuesday, passing the Hillary Step at about 8,800 meters (28,871 feet) when an ice mound near Everest’s South Summit collapsed.
Several climbers were able to get back on their feet, but despite diligent searching efforts, British climber Mr Patterson and his guide Mr Sherpa “could not be rescued”. According to 8K Expedition.
Lakpa Sherpa, leader of the 8K expedition, said Saturday that officials had not yet confirmed the two deaths, but rescuing them would be difficult.
“There was a lot of traffic on the road that day,” Mr Sherpa said, adding that at least 150 climbers were stuck due to a lack of coordination. “People couldn’t wait. They tried to cross the road.”
Vinayak Jaya Malla, a mountain guide who climbed Everest on Tuesday, shared a video of climbers perched on a narrow ridge at the summit and one climber appearing to pull himself up in the snow using a safety rope.
“Many climbers were stuck in traffic jams and were running low on oxygen,” he said. On social mediaIt added that four other climbers who narrowly escaped death were also strangled by ropes.
He said after the cornice collapsed it became impossible to traverse and the climbers eventually chose a new route down the mountain.
The number of permits issued to climbers has decreased this year.
Everest Base Camp official Shimlal Gautam said this year’s climbing window is longer than last year.
He said 421 climbers had been granted permits this year, compared with 478 last year. But he said it was difficult to say whether overcrowding was endangering climbers.
“Obviously, Everest, especially the Hillary Step, gets very crowded when climbers are scrambling to reach the summit,” Mr. Gautam said, adding that some climbers did not heed instructions to avoid the crowds.
