Journey to the End of the World

Heavy traffic of mountain climbers line up to stand at the summit of Mount Everest. Many teams had to line up for hours on Wednesday to reach the summit, risking frostbite and altitude sickness, as a rush of climbers marked one of the busiest days on the world’s highest mountain.

A huge queue of climbers has formed near the summit of Mount Everest as expedition organisers on Thursday reported two more deaths on the world’s highest mountain.

More than 200 climbers were taking advantage of clear weather on Wednesday to attempt to summit from both Nepal and China, but teams had to line up for hours to reach the top – risking frostbite and altitude sickness.

An American and Indian climber are the latest fatalities, their expedition organisers said, on one of the busiest-ever days on the 8,848-metre peak.

Donald Lynn Cash, 55, collapsed at the summit on Wednesday as he was taking photographs, while Anjali Kulkarni, also 55, died while descending after reaching the top.

Kulkarni’s expedition organiser, Arun Treks, said heavy traffic at the summit had delayed her descent and caused her death.

“She had to wait for a long time to reach the summit and descend,” said Thupden Sherpa. “She couldn’t move down on her own and died as Sherpa guides brought her down.”

Pasang Tenje Sherpa, of Pioneer Adventure, told reporters that Cash collapsed on the summit and died close to Hillary Step as guides were bringing him back. The deaths take the toll on Everest to four this season, after an Indian climber died last week and an Irish mountaineer is presumed dead after he slipped and fell close to the summit.

Mountaineering in Nepal has become a lucrative business since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the first ascent of Everest in 1953. The Himalayan nation has issued a record 381 permits costing $11,000 (R158,949) each for this year’s spring climbing season.

At least 140 others have been granted permits to scale Everest from the northern flank in Tibet. This could take the total past last year’s record of 807 people reaching the summit.

She couldn’t move down on her own and died as Sherpa guides brought her down