Everest death toll mounts to four as rescuers find body
Three others died in one of the deadliest episodes since an avalanche that killed 18
Rescuers on Everest found the body of a missing Indian climber yesterday, taking the toll from a deadly weekend on the world’s highest peak to four.
Three other climbers died on Everest over the weekend, one of the deadliest episodes since an avalanche swept through base camp two years ago, killing 18. All the fatalities appear to be related to altitude sickness.
Indian climber Ravi Kumar, 27, reached the summit on Saturday but lost contact shortly after. His Nepali guide managed to reach Camp 4, just below 8,000 metres, but sustained severe frostbite.
“A search and rescue team have seen his body,” Thupden Sherpa of Arun Treks and Expeditions told AFP. Sherpa said that Kumar’s body was spotted about 200 metres from the main route and the team was assessing the feasibility of retrieving it.
An American doctor Roland Yearwood and Slovak climber Vladimir Strba both perished on Sunday above the 8,000 metre mark — an area known as the mountain’s “death zone” where the thin air heightens the risk of altitude sickness. An Australian climber died on the Tibet side of the mountain, local media reported, quoting the Tibet Mountaineering Association.
The 54-year-old from Queensland was reportedly hit by altitude sickness after reaching 7,500 metres and died as he was trying to descend. His name has not yet been officially released.
Mountaineer Abdul Jabbar Bhatti became the fourth Pakistani to summit Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, on Sunday.
His family and friends have been relieved after learning that Bhatti is safe after he encountered inclement weather during his descent. Bhatti’s climbing partner, Saad Mohammad, informed them that “Bhatti has been rescued above Camp 4 and is now out of danger.”
It took Bhatti a month and a half to complete the dream expedition. Bhatti partially financed his Rs5 million (Dh175,116) trip with help from a private donor.
Bhatti is an accomplished Pakistani mountaineer who has successfully summited four peaks more than 8km tall, including Broad Peak (8,051 metres) in 1985; Gasherbrum 2 (8,035 metres) in 1986 and Spantik Peak (7,027 metres) in 2012.
Bhatti is a retired lieutenant colonel of Pakistan Army and a recipient of Pakistan’s top awards including President’s Pride of Performance award and the Tamgha-i-Basalat (Medal of Good Conduct). Dr. Bhatti is also the patron of The Adventure Club-Pakistan — an organisation which promotes adventure activities, especially among youth.
Mount Everest, which stands at an imposing 8,848 metres (or 29,029 feet) high above sea level, is a dream destination for climbers around the world.
Abdul Jabbar Bhatti is being hailed by Pakistani climbers as the first one from outside the region of Gilgit-Baltistan to achieve this landmark. The other three Pakistanis who have scaled Mount Everest are from the mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan region — home to some of the world’s tallest mountains.
Conquerors
Nazir Sabir became the first Pakistani to climb Mount Everest in 2000. The second Pakistani who accomplished this feat was Hassan Sadapara who climbed the world’s highest peak in 2011. Renowned mountaineer Hassan Sadpara, who passed away in 2016, was the only Pakistani to have climbed six of the world’s tallest mountains including Mt Everest, K2 (8,611 metres), Gasherbrum I (8,080 metres), Gasherbrum II (8,035 metres), Nanga Parbat (8,126 metres) and Broad Peak (8,051 metres). Samina Baig is the first Pakistani woman to scale Mount Everest in 2013.
Abdul Jabbar’s successful ascent comes at a crucial time as this has been a tragic weekend on the world’s highest mountain. At least four climbers — one from the United States, one from Slovakia, another from Australia and fourth one from India — died on the mountain.
At least five climbers have died on Everest during the current spring climbing season, which began in March.