2 climbers just died descending Mount Everest

Mount Everest
(Image credit: Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images)

Two climbers have died descending Mount Everest, marking the first deaths on the world's highest mountain in 2016, The Associated Press reports.

Dutch climber Eric Arnold and Australian climber Maria Strydom both showed signs of altitude sickness before dying Friday and Saturday, respectively, Pasang Phurba of the Seven Summit Treks agency told the AP.

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.