Four climbers die in one weekend on Everest

THE body of an Indian climber was spotted on Mount Everest yesterday, the fourth fatality on the mountain during a busy and tragic weekend on the world’s highest peak.

Sherpa rescuers spotted the body of Indian climber Ravi Kumar, but it was impossible to retrieve it, said Thupden Sherpa of Arun Treks and Expedition. It appeared Kumar had fallen some 650ft below the route, he said.

Climbers from the United States, Slovakia and Australia also died on the mountain over the weekend.

Kumar fell sick on his way down from the summit on Saturday and did not make it to the nearest camp, though his accompanying Nepalese Sherpa guide did reach camp.

The guide was sick but had managed to drag himself to the camp at South Col, located at 26,247ft.

Kumar and his guide reached the 8,850-metre-high (29,035ft) summit at about 1.30pm on Saturday, which is considered late.

Tourism Department official Kamal Prasad Adhikari confirmed American climber Roland Yearwood, 50, from Georgiana, Alabama, died on Sunday, but it was not clear if and when his body would be brought down.

A Slovak climber, Vladimir Strba, 50, also died on Everest on Sunday, Tourism Ministry official Gyanendra Shrestha said.

His body was brought to the South Col camp.

Australian climber Francesco Enrico Marchetti, 54, from Queensland, died on the Chinese side of Everest, according to the Himalayan Times newspaper.

The number of climbers who have died on Everest during the current spring climbing season, which began in March and runs through the end of this month, has now reached six.

A typical spring season sees around six deaths on Everest, according to mountaineering officials.

Because of bad weather conditions, climbing to the summit had been delayed this year, leading to a rush in the last few days to get to the summit.