Traffic jam at summit, no entry put up for Everest
■ Spending a long time above the death zone increases the risk of altitude sickness, says mountaineer
Following an unprecedented “traffic jam” near the summit of Mount Everest, the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) has stopped accepting applications for expeditions to the “peak of heaven”.
On Wednesday, over 200 mountaineers from several countries who took the South Col route to reach the summit of the 8,848-metre peak were forced to wait in a distressing queue.
According to the latest report, eight mountaineers have died, and another eight are missing.
In an alert published on its official website, the apex national body for mountaineering and allied sports has stated, “Applications for Mount Everest expedition are no longer being accepted. No further applications will be entertained.”
The number of deaths recorded this week is more than the total number of deaths that took place last year. Two Indian climbers, of weakness, in addition to a likely quake, avalanche, and an increase in wind intensity among other causes.”
Mountaineering has become a lucrative business in Nepal. Nepal has issued permits to 379 climbers this season to scale Mount Everest. Mount Everest has become a hub for tourism as even those who can't do as little as pitch a tent for themselves want to travel deeper into the mountain, provided they have local help. The famous trek routes Kheer Ganga and Triund, located in the Dharamshala district, witness over 5,000 tourists every weekend.
“The conditions this year have been far worse than what we’ve witnessed previously. Factors such as highintensity winds are leaving a large number of climbers with a narrow window to reach the summit,” said Mr Pradeep Sangwan, founder of the Healing Himalayas Foundation, which takes up mass clean-up operations on the mountain.