Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, is a mountain many climbers dream of conquering. Recently, a surge in climbers has led to "traffic jams" on the mountain, with many stranded at an altitude of 8,800 meters. As a result, a number of people have suffered from oxygen deprivation and exhaustion, leading to at least 10 deaths on the mountain within a week. One climber who just summited Everest also revealed the dire conditions on the mountain, describing the scene as akin to a massacre.
According to reports from international media, Canadian filmmaker Elia Saikaly, an avid mountaineer who has summited Everest three times, revealed that the climbing conditions this time were extremely poor. Due to clear weather on Everest recently, many people were drawn to climb, leading to overcrowding. This resulted in climbers having to queue up to ascend, during which many could not endure the cold or lack of oxygen, leading to exhaustion and death.
Saikaly revealed that 20 minutes before he left the last camp, he saw a climber fall into a coma and was carried into the camp by Sherpas for treatment. During the ascent to the summit, he also saw a woman suffering from severe altitude sickness who could hardly continue climbing. Saikaly urged her to give up, saying it wasn’t worth it, but the woman refused and even shed tears. He later learned that this female climber had passed away.
Saikaly believes the high number of deaths is due to some disorganized companies that do not understand the needs of foreign climbers. He also mentioned that some climbers, in order to save costs, ventured up the mountain without adequate preparation, calling it very not worthwhile. Reflecting on the conditions on the mountain, he said it sent chills down his spine: “People continued climbing in the queue, and two and a half hours later, we saw the body of a deceased climber on the path. Everyone had to step over that corpse, which was deeply unsettling.”