A Kenyan climber has died near the summit of Mount Everest, and his Nepali guide is missing, marking the latest tragedies on the world’s highest peak this season.
Joshua Cheruiyot Kirui, 40, and his guide, Nawang Sherpa, 44, lost contact on Wednesday morning.
A search team discovered Kirui’s body between the summit and the Hillary Step, but Sherpa remains unaccounted for, according to Khim Lal Gautam, chief of the tourism department’s field office at Everest base camp.
The search continues for a 40-year-old British climber and a 21-year-old Nepali guide, missing since Tuesday morning after an ice fall during their descent from the peak.
This season has already seen multiple fatalities: a Romanian climber died in his tent on Lhotse, the fourth-highest mountain, which shares the same route as Everest up to 7,200 meters.
Earlier in the month, two Mongolian climbers died after summiting Everest, and additional deaths occurred on Makalu, the fifth-highest peak, involving one French and one Nepali climber.
Nepal has issued over 900 climbing permits this year, including 419 for Everest, generating more than $5 million in royalties.
Breaking: Kenyan climber Cheruiyot Kirui, who went missing, dies on Mt. Everest. pic.twitter.com/VbcrxZt29P
— Switch Media Kenya (@switchtvkenya) May 23, 2024
Despite the risks, more than 500 climbers and guides have reached the summit this season following the efforts of a rope-fixing team.
China has also reopened the Tibetan route to Everest for foreign climbers for the first time since 2020, further increasing the number of adventurers on the mountain.
Nepal, which hosts eight of the world’s ten highest peaks, attracts hundreds of climbers each spring due to its relatively warm temperatures and calmer winds.
As Kenyan climber dies on Everest, last year, over 600 climbers summited Everest, although it was the deadliest season on record with 18 fatalities.
This year’s climbing season continues to underscore the perilous nature of high-altitude mountaineering.
