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A 43-year-old Indian mountaineer has tragically died descending from the summit of Mount Everest. Subash Paul made the ascent on Saturday, the same day as Queensland teen Alyssa Azar successfully reached the summit. However, it has been reported that Subash Paul died a day later from exhaustion.
There have now been three fatalities in the three days since climbing was resumed, Dr Maria Strydom, a finance lecturer from Melbourne was pronounced dead after falling ill moving in between camps in the notorious ‘death zone’. Eric Arnold, a Dutch mountaineer, suffered a severe bout of altitude sickness and died last Friday.
The fatalities have put Everest’s safety under scrutiny. In 2014 expeditions were halted due to the tragic Nepal Earthquake, and in 2015 and ice avalanche killed 16 sherpas.
“Many climbers without any experience crowd Everest every year, and companies often use poor quality equipment… offering cheap packages to clients who are exposed to security risks,” Nepal Mountaineering Association Chief Ang Tshering Sherpa said.
“Climbers with well-managed companies employing experienced guides are safe.”
However, Tourism Department official Sudarshan Dhakal, claims that “Energy loss and altitude sickness mean that they were not well prepared.”
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