Japanese climber is second Everest fatality

A JAPANESE mountaineer, who lost nine fingertips to frostbite in a previous expedition, died yesterday during another attempt to climb Mount Everest, an official in Nepal said.

Nobukazu Kuriki, 36, was the second person to die on the world’s highest mountain during the current climbing season. His body was found after he fell asleep in a Camp 2 tent at 24,278ft on the 29,035ft mountain, Gyanendra Shrestha, a tourism department official, said from base camp. “Sherpas found his body inside the tent,” Mr Shrestha said.

More details of the incident are not immediately available due to poor communication with the higher camp.

Mr Kuriki had made seven unsuccessful attempts to scale Everest. In 2012, he spent two days in a snow hole at 27,000ft on Everest in temperatures below –4F (–20C), which led to him having his fingertips amputated.

He was one of two foreign adventurers to die on the mountain in recent days. Gjeorgi Petkov, 63, a Macedo- nian, died at the weekend, hiking officials confirmed, without giving details.

Scores of climbers have successfully made it to the top of Everest this month taking advantage of good climbing weather, officials said.

Nepal has allowed more than 340 foreign climbers to ascend the peak during the current season, which started in March and continues through this month.

Ascents will stop in June when the conditions are set to deteriorate.