- Seventeen climbers perished or went missing, presumed dead, during this year’s Mount Everest climbing season.
- It proved to be one of the most fatal seasons on the world’s highest peak.
- According to Sherpas and organizers interviewed by Al Jazeera, extreme weather conditions and “carelessness” were the primary factors contributing to the tragedies.
This year’s mountaineering season on Mount Everest achieved a grim record for fatality rates.
With 12 climbers losing their lives and 5 still missing, 2023 stands as the second deadliest climbing season on record, surpassed only by 2018 when 18 climbers died as a result of an earthquake.
According to expedition organizers and officials, the tragic year can be attributed to two main factors: extreme cold weather intensified by climate change, and the “carelessness” displayed by foreign climbers attempting to conquer the renowned summit.
The director of Nepal’s tourism department, Yuba Raj Khatiwada, attributes the deaths to the “shifting weather conditions.”
“This season, the weather conditions were highly unfavorable, exhibiting significant variation,” Khatiwada reported, as stated by The Guardian. “Climate change is exerting a substantial impact on the mountains.”
While temperatures normally plummet to -18 degrees Fahrenheit on the 29,032-foot-high mountain, this year witnessed a drastic drop to -40 degrees Fahrenheit, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Mingma Gyalje Sherpa, leader of the team responsible for opening the route to the summit, informed Al Jazeera that the extreme cold and disregard for safety precautions contributed to the fatalities.
Even experienced guides succumbed to frostbite, resulting in insufficient supplies at the camps, according to the sherpas interviewed by Al Jazeera.
This year, Nepal issued a record number of permits for climbers endeavoring to reach the summit of Everest.
The sherpas further revealed that ill-prepared foreign climbers, driven by impatience, embarked on the ascent without adequately stocked camps.
“Clients were too eager to climb, leading to a premature start,” remarked Mingma Gyalje Sherpa. “I believe some of the casualties could have been avoided if all the necessary supplies were available.”
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