Nepalese Sherpas die on Everest, third victim in two weeks

A Nepalese Sherpa guide has fallen into a crevasse and died on Mount Everest, the third fatality in two weeks on the world's highest mountain, as climbers were not deterred by travel disruptions caused by conflict in the Middle East, officials said on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

Experienced climbers from the Nepal Expedition Operators Association are expected to set up ropes on the route to the summit by the weekend, allowing climbers to move up if weather conditions are good, mountaineering officials said.

"Despite the conflict in the Middle East, which has affected travel, tourism and trekking, Everest continues to attract an increasing number of climbers," said Himal Gautam, an official with Nepal's Ministry of Tourism.

Nepal has opened more than 400 Himalayan peaks to climbers, but only a little over twenty are the most popular, including Everest, at 8.849 meters.

Authorities have issued 492 Everest permits this climbing season, which runs from April to May, at a cost of $15.000, Gautam added. That's up from 478 in 2023, and also more than in the two previous years.

The latest death brings the death toll among Himalayan climbers this season to five in the impoverished South Asian country, dependent on aid, remittances and tourism, where mountaineering is a key source of income and employment.

Fura Gyaljen Sherpa, 21, died after slipping on snow and falling into a crevasse near Camp III on Everest, which is located at about 7.200 meters, said Nisha Thapa Rawat, another official with the Ministry of Tourism.

Another Nepali climber, Bijai Ghimire Biswakarma, 35, died during an acclimatization exercise on the Khumbu Icefall, while 51-year-old Lakpa Dendi Sherpa died on the way to base camp earlier this month, mountaineering officials said.

Last week, American Johansen Shelley, 53, died on Mount Makalu, the world's fifth highest peak at 8.463 meters, while David Ronbinek from the Czech Republic died on nearby Makalu II, 7.678 meters high, officials said.

They didn't provide details.

In April, a huge block of ice, along with smaller pieces, delayed the opening of the route to the summit of Everest by almost two weeks, leaving hundreds of climbers trapped at base camp.