Missing Indian climber found dead on Mt. Everest
23 May 2017 |
| The body of Ravi Kumar, an Indian climber who went missing on Mt. Everest 2 days ago, was discovered after a 36-hour-long intense search.
Kumar's body was found in a 200-metre crevasse near the summit.
According to reports, Kumar and his guide reached the summit on Saturday at 1:28 pm, and collapsed while descending from the summit at approximately 8 pm.
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Questions raised about safety of mountaineers
FACT |
| Kumar's death and several such incidents have raised concerns over climbers' safety. On April 30, famed Swiss mountaineer Ueli Steck, fell 1000 meters off a ridge near Everest during climbing preparations. Nepal has granted 371 mountaineers permission to climb Everest during the ongoing season. |
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Kumar fell sick during descent, guide found unconscious
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| Kumar successfully scaled the 8,848 meter summit of Mount Everest at 1:28pm on May 21, said Thupden Sherpa of the Arun Treks and Expedition company that sponsored Kumar's climb.
Sherpa said Kumar fell sick while descending from the summit and failed to make it to the nearest camp.
His guide, Lakpa Wongya Sherpa, was found unconscious after suffering from frostbite at Camp IV.
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No mountaineer trekked to the top in 2015
FACT |
| In 2015, no mountaineer trekked to the top of Mount Everest, for the first time in 41 years. An avalanche triggered by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that shook Nepal had killed 22 people when it hit Everest base camp. |
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Everest's famous Hillary Step destroyed
22 May 2017 |
| The Hillary Step, a famous feature of Mount Everest has collapsed, which could possibly make scaling the world's highest peak more dangerous for mountaineers.
The near-vertical 12 meter rocky outcrop dotted the mountain's southeast ridge. It was the last major challenge for climbers before the summit.
The feature was named after Sir Edmund Hillary, who became first person to scale Everest in 1953.
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2015 earthquake led to Hillary Step's destruction
Explained |
| Last year, the American Himalayan Foundation posted photos showing the Hillary Step had changed.
It was hard to tell if there was any permanent change due to snowfall.
This year, there's been lesser snowfall, revealing the feature's destruction. Mountaineers believe the 2015 earthquake led to its demise.
British mountaineer Tim Mosedale said: "it is a great shame a piece of mountaineering folklore has disappeared."
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