An Indian climber who reached the summit of Nepal’s Mount Everest blamed recent deaths on a lack of oxygen and “proper planning” from the agencies facilitating the expeditions.
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CNN reports an estimated 500 mountaineers are treated at Mount Everest’s base camp each year.
A Dutch climber’s body was brought to Camp 2 at 6,400 meters (21,000 feet), while an Australian climber’s body is at Camp 3 located at 7,200 meters (23,620 feet).
However, last night – after the statement was released – Dr Strydom’s family said they still had not heard from either Arnold Coster Expeditions or the other company involved, Seven Summit Treks, despite AAP passing on the family’s details.
Two other Indian members of Mr Paul’s team – Paresh Nath and Goutam Ghosh – are missing.
“A helicopter has already landed at the base camp and it is now waiting for a fair weather to take off for the Camp II from where Arnold’s body will likely be airlifted to Kathmandu later today”, Sherpa told THT Online over phone from the base camp.
He had enough bottled oxygen with him but complained of getting weak and died on Friday near the South Col before he could get to a lower altitude.
Two expert Americans, Adrian Ballinger and Cory Richards, expected to summit Monday, are using live Snapchats to show the world the extremes climbers endure. Some climbers are delayed going up or coming down.
“This was a man-made disaster that may have been minimized with better management of the teams”, he said. Other common causes of death on Everest include altitude sickness, cerebral edema, exhaustion, exposure, and heart attack. That year, an avalanche near the Khumbu Icefall killed 16 sherpa guides and closed the season. The other came in 2014, when 16 guides were killed while crossing a hard part of the mountains. This year’s busy climbing season follows two years of disasters that virtually emptied the mountain.
United States climber Melissa Arnot Monday became the first American woman to successfully summit and descend Everest without using extra oxygen.
Since climbing season opened on Everest, about 300 people have scaled, according to data from Everest Base Camp as of Saturday.
Nepal and the Everest climbing community had been anxious for a successful season this year.
Meanwhile, tributes poured in to the family of the adventurer, with many describing her as a risk taker who knew what she was doing when she went on the climb. They also pay for official permission, or permits, to hike.
These expenses bring in millions of dollars for Nepal. He wrote he hoped to become the first Dutchman to climb Kangchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world.
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