KATHMANDU – Four climbers, including a sherpa, have died while climbing the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest, over the last four days, while two others have gone missing, CNN reported on Monday.
The climbing season on the world’s highest peak resumed in April this year after a two-year hiatus, prompted by an earthquake that struck Nepal in 2015 and a deadly avalanche that killed 16 sherpas on the same day in 2014.
This year tragedy struck again as authorities reported four consecutive days of deaths on the famous mountain.
The victims include 25-year old Phurba Sherpa, a crew member who fell to his death while repairing a route about 150 meters near the summit, according to Mingma Sherpa, the Nepali rescue team leader at the Everest Base Camp.
Aric Arnold, 36, of the Netherlands also died at night while heading back after a successful summit on Everest, according to Tashi Lakpa Sherpa, the owner of Seven Summit Treks. A heart attack is suspected to have caused his death, the sherpa said.
Another victim, Australian woman Maria Strydom, also travelling with the Seven Summit Treks, started suffering altitude sickness upon reaching Camp IV, the final camp before the summit.
Strydom, 34, could not move upward anymore, and a rescue attempt to reach her failed, according to Tashi Sherpa.
Subash Paul, 44, died at Base Camp II from altitude sickness, according to Wangchu Sherpa, Managing Director of Trekking Camp Nepal.
Paul was part of a team (consisting of four Indian climbers and four Sherpas) that also saw two members, Paresh Chandra Nath and Goutam Ghosh, go missing on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, an Indian woman suffered severe frostbite injuries near Camp IV after climbing Everest from the Nepal.
Seema Goswami was undergoing treatment at a hospital after being airlifted from the Everest region, said Pemba Sherpa, the Seven Summit Treks manager.
Since climbing season opened on Everest, about 300 people have scaled, according to data from Everest Base Camp as of Saturday.
The risks of making the summit are well-known as more than 250 people have died on the mountain to date.
