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.
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.
-
Taps could run dry in drought-stricken TehranUnder the Radar President warns that unless rationing eases water crisis, citizens may have to evacuate the capital
-
Alaska faces earth-shaking loss as seismic monitoring stations shutterIN THE SPOTLIGHT NOAA cuts have left the western seaboard without a crucial resource to measure, understand and predict tsunamis
-
10 great advent calendars for everyone (including the dog)The Week Recommends Countdown with cocktails, jams and Legos
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
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
