Indian Climber Passes Away After Mount Everest Attempt

A climber from India who was rescued from Mount Everest has died in the hospital, Nepalese authorities announced on Tuesday. The 46-year-old, Banshi Lal, was rescued last week while attempting to summit the world’s highest peak. Despite being admitted to a local hospital, doctors were unable to save him. “He died at the hospital yesterday,” Rakesh Gurung of the tourism department told AFP.

This marks the eighth recorded fatality of the year on Everest, a lower figure compared to recent years as the mountaineering season nears its end. Last year was particularly deadly, with 18 fatalities recorded in 2023.

Among this year’s deceased are a British climber and two Nepali guides, who are presumed dead after a severe fall, though their bodies have yet to be located. All fatalities on Mount Everest occurred above 8,000 meters, where thin air and low oxygen levels increase the risk of altitude sickness.

Fatalities were also reported on other Nepalese peaks. A Romanian climber died while summiting Lhotse, and a French and a Nepali climber lost their lives on Makalu, the world’s fifth-highest mountain. This year, Nepal issued 900 mountain permits, including 419 for Mount Everest.

Several records were broken this year, including Nepali climber Phunjo Lama’s fastest female ascent of Mount Everest, reaching the summit in just 14 hours and 31 minutes. Typically, climbers spend several days ascending the 8,849-meter peak, with rest and acclimatization stops at various camps.

Additionally, 54-year-old Nepali climber Kami Rita Sherpa, known as “Everest Man,” made his record-breaking 30th ascent of Everest, three decades after his first summit.