On Sunday, the Russian authorities announced the death of a Russian mountaineer on Mount Everest, in the second death during the season on the “surface of the world”.
The man, who has not been identified, died on Saturday after falling ill while in the acclimatization phase at a camp 6,553 meters below the summit.
“His body has been returned to the base camp and will be flown to Kathmandu as soon as the weather improves,” Bhisma Raj Dunjana, an official with the Nepali Tourism Ministry, told AFP.
“Although the cause of death is not yet known, it may be due to complications related to altitude sickness,” he added.
This death was confirmed by Mingma Gelu Sherpa of the operator of Seven Summits Treks who organized the expedition.
This is the second death recorded on the Nepalese side of Everest for the spring season, which lasts from mid-April to late May.
In April, a Nepalese climber, Njemi Tingi Sherpa, 38, died while climbing equipment. He was found sitting and carrying his bag.
About a third of the dead on Everest are Nepalese guides and porters, a figure that testifies to the dangers faced by hundreds of climbers who dream of reaching the summit at 8,848 meters above sea level.
On average, five people die each year on Everest. But in 2019, a total of 11 people were killed, and the impressive traffic jams that year were criminalized for four of them.
Eleven Nepalese climbers reached the summit on Saturday, the first of hundreds of climbers expected to scale the south side of the world’s highest mountain in the coming weeks.
Nepal only reopened its peaks to climbers last year after the 2020 season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The country has issued 316 permits to climb mountains this season, including 17 permits for Russian mountaineers. More than 600 climbers are expected to set out on the route of the southern slopes of Nepal, and most of the candidates for the ascent of Everest are accompanied by a Nepalese guide.
