Climbing
A Russian climber died on Mount Everest on Saturday, the second fatality this season on the world’s highest peak.
Pavel Kostrikin, 55, died after falling ill while acclimatizing below the summit at Camp 1 at 17,585 feet (5,360 meters). He fell ill at Camp 2 at 20,997 feet (6,400 meters) and died after being taken back to Camp 1.
“His body has been brought to the base camp and will be flown to Kathmandu once the weather improves. Though the cause of the death is not known yet, it could be due to complications related to altitude sickness.”
– Bhisma Raj Dhungana, Nepal’s tourism department, told AFP
It was the second fatality on the Nepal side of Everest this climbing season. Nepali climber Ngimi Tenji Sherpa, 38, who was carrying equipment uphill, was found dead on the mountain on April 14th,
Eleven climbers reached the summit on Saturday, including a record-breaking 26th summit for Kami Rita Sherpa. Nepal has issued 316 permits for this year’s climbing season, which runs from mid-April through May. Last year 408 permits were issued.
On average, around five climbers die every year trying to summit Mount Everest. There have been 311 recorded deaths on Everest since 1922. In 2019, 11 people died on Everest during a record season with a huge number of climbers.
