BEIJING, May 22 (Xinhua) Four mountaineers have died while climbing Mount Everest in Nepal, with local authorities confirming the discovery of their bodies, including one Chinese national. Another climber remains missing. The Chinese Embassy in Nepal told Xinhua on Tuesday that the deceased Chinese climber had not registered with the embassy as required, and officials are actively communicating with local authorities and mountaineering associations to gather more details about the Chinese national.
According to the Associated Press from Kathmandu, Nepali officials reported on Monday that five climbers had met with accidents during their descent after reaching the summit of Mount Everest. A senior official from the Nepal Mountaineering Association said three foreign climbers tragically died on their way down on May 19 after successfully reaching the top. The identities of the three deceased have largely been confirmed: 61-year-old German doctor Eberhard Schaaf, whose body was found at around 8,700 meters, Shriya Shah, a Canadian woman born in Nepal, and Song Won-bin, a climber from South Korea, whose body was discovered at 8,650 meters.
The latest report on Tuesday said the body of a 55-year-old Chinese national, Ha Wenyi (phonetic: Ha Wen-yi), was found at 8,600 meters, while a Nepali Sherpa guide remains missing.
Everest’s “death zone” lies above 8,000 meters, a term derived from the extreme cold and lack of oxygen that make human survival beyond 48 hours nearly impossible. Reuters reported that their cause of death may have been exhaustion and altitude sickness, while other sources suggest they were caught in a sudden storm.
Gyanendra Shrestha, a Nepali official, said around 150 climbers gathered at Everest Base Camp on May 18, but due to unpredictable weather, they were forced to wait at the camp before proceeding with their summit attempts. On May 19, a “traffic jam” occurred on the southern route to Everest. After 2:30 p.m., some climbers were still attempting to reach the summit, which was highly dangerous. “Once congestion happens, climbers have to wait longer at high altitudes, and the limited oxygen supply they carry isn’t enough to sustain them through such extended waits.”
The Chinese Embassy in Nepal told Xinhua that the deceased Chinese climber had not registered with the embassy, and officials are actively communicating with local authorities and mountaineering associations in Nepal to obtain detailed information. With the current peak climbing season underway, Chinese mountaineers are urged to register with Chinese embassies or consulates before climbing to help prevent safety risks.
The Chinese Mountaineering Association stated in an interview that it does not have specific information about the deceased Chinese climber, but its contact office in Nepal can provide assistance. A staff member noted that the optimal climbing period for Everest is typically from early March to late May and from early September to late October, when better weather conditions are more likely.
Earlier this year, two Sherpa guides lost their lives on Everest — one fell into a glacier crevasse at 5,900 meters, and another died from altitude sickness at a camp. Since New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay first conquered Everest in 1953, nearly 4,000 climbers have reached the summit, while over 200 have perished on the slopes of the world’s highest peak.