Mount Everest records first deaths of 2021 expedition

TWO climbers on Wednesday died near the summit of Mount Everest as they became the rst deaths of the 2021 expedition, their expedition agency said.

A Swiss and an American national died during the nal ascent of the world’s tallest peak, according to Mingma Sherpa, chairman of the Seven Summit Treks, an expedition agency based in Kathmandu.

“The climbers who were members of our expedition team died during the nal ascent,” Sherpa told dpa on Thursday morning.

The Swiss climber had successfully reached the summit but began experiencing issues during his descent, while the American climber died due to snow blindness and exhaustion at Camp I before reaching the summit, the agency wrote in its Facebook page.

Even as Nepal continues to grapple with the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, more than 100 climbers have already reached the world’s tallest peak, while others are expected to make the nal push in the next few days.

Local media, a climber as well as at least one hospital in Kathmandu have reported transmission of the coronavirus among some Everest climbers, a claim which the Nepalese authorities have rejected. Some of the successful summiteers of this season so far include Bahraini prince Mohammed Hamad Mohammed Al Khalifa and Kenton Cool, a British climber who reached the peak for the 15th time, according to the Himalayan Times.