Global Courant 2023-05-02 12:35:00
KATHMANDU — An American climber has died on Mount Everest, his expedition organizer said Tuesday, the first foreign death on the world’s tallest mountain this season.
The 69-year-old was on an acclimatization rotation at about 6,400 meters when he died Monday.
“He felt unwell and died in camp 2. Efforts are being made to (return) his body,” Pasang Tshering Sherpa of Beyul Adventure told AFP.
He said bad weather hampered recovery efforts.
Beyul Adventure is a local partner of US-based expedition organizer International Mountain Guides (IMG).
“It is with deep sadness that IMG reports the death of one of our Everest 2023 team members at Camp 2,” IMG Chief Eric Simonson said on its website.
“We can confirm that this event was not the result of a climbing accident or route condition that would potentially affect or pose a safety risk to other teams on the mountain.”
Everest’s spring climbing season got off to a tragic start last month with the death of three Nepalese climbers.
The trio were crossing the treacherous Khumbu Icefall as part of a resupply mission when a block of glacial ice fell and dragged them into a deep canyon.
Nepal has issued 466 permits to foreign climbers, and since most require a guide, more than 900 people will attempt to summit this season, which runs through early June.
This can lead to heavy traffic and bottlenecks on the way to the top, especially if there is a shorter climbing window due to adverse weather.
On average, about five climbers die each year on the world’s highest peak at 8,848 meters.
But 11 people died in 2019, and four of the deaths were attributed to overcrowding that year.
