Three people have died on Mount Everest in a spate of accidents on the mountain.
Sherpa guide Phurba Sherpa fell to his death on Thursday. "The 25-year-old had been working to fix a route about 150 meters [492ft] from the summit when he fell," reports CNN.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Dutch climber Eric Arnold died in his sleep on Friday night, while Australian Dr Maria Strydom was taken ill on Saturday. Officials are unsure if they will be able to recover the bodies.
Strydom's husband, Robert Gropel, was also taken ill on the way down, suffering from high-altitude pulmonary oedema.
The deaths - the first of the 2016 Everest climbing season, which runs from March to late May - "came as the Everest tourism industry began to show signs of recovery after two years of devastating natural disasters", The Guardian says.
Last year, 22 people died in an avalanche following a major earthquake in Nepal, while 16 Sherpa guides were killed by an avalanche in 2014.
Meanwhile, four Indian climbers listed as missing on the mountain are now thought to be awaiting rescue.
Sunita Hazra, Paresh Nath, Subhash Pal and Goutam Ghosh were last seen near the summit on Saturday. Indian news outlet ND-TV reports local tour operators saying they had been located, although poor weather was hampering rescue efforts. The plan is for the mountaineers to be airlifted to safety.
More than 300 people have climbed the mountain this year, according to data from Everest Base Camp, but more than 30 have required medical attention due to altitude sickness and frostbite.
-
August 13 editorial cartoonsCartoons Wednesday’s political cartoons include no age limit on ICE joiners, GOP paving over democracy, and the return of the QAnon Shaman
-
Aimee Betro: the Wisconsin woman who came to Birmingham to killIn the Spotlight US hitwoman wore a niqab in online lover's revenge plot
-
Facial recognition vans and policingThe Explainer The government is rolling out more live facial recognition technology across England
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weaponsThe Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarrayIn the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
