A climber from India and the Philippines lost their lives on the top peak, Mount Everest. Both climbers were part of the same climbing team.

Tragedy on Mount Everest:

The World’s highest mountain, Mount Everest, gained the attraction of a large number of tourists worldwide. The World has seen the loss of 2 precious lives at the very start of this year. Two climbers from India and the Philippines have become the first casualties of this year’s March-May expedition on Mount Everest. Officials confirmed the deaths on Friday, thus marking a somber start to the Everest season.

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Indian climber dies after refusing to descend:

Subrata Ghosh was a 45-year-old climber from India. On Thursday, he died near the summit of Everest. He had successfully reached the 8,849-meter (29,032 feet) peak but refused to come down after reaching the Hillary Step. According to the head of Snowy Horizon Treks and Expedition, Ghosh resisted attempts to descend and remained near the Hillary Step. Hillary Step is also known as the death zone.

The death zone is notorious for its lack of oxygen. It is very hard to survive there without supplemental oxygen. Bhandari, the head of Snowy Horizon Treks and Expedition, stated authorities are trying to recover Ghosh’s body and bring it down to base camp. He also said the reason behind the death of the mountaineer will be determined after a post-mortem.

Filipino climber dies in his tent at South Col:

Philipp II Santiago, another climber from the Philippines, lost his life a day earlier to the death of Ghosh. He died at the South Col, one of the final camps, before the summit. According to a Nepalese tourism official, Santiago appeared extremely exhausted after reaching the camp. While resting inside his tent, he passed away before he could continue his journey toward the summit. It is noted that Santiago and Ghosh were part of the same international climbing team managed by Bhandari’s expedition company.

Everest’s harsh reality:

Despite the dangers, Everest continues to draw large numbers of adventurers. Nepal has issued 459 permits to climbers aiming to summit Everest. Already, nearly 100 climbers and guides have successfully reached the top this week alone. However, the risk remains ever-present. As per the data from the Himalayan Database, more than 345 climbers have died on Everest.