Summiting Everest from the South Side
Nepalese officials confirmed today that four climbers from China, Germany, Canada, and South Korea died on their descent after reaching the summit, and one person is still missing.
Sherpa Ang Tshering said, “Regrettably, I must report that the 61-year-old German climber Eberhard Schaaf was found dead at an altitude of 8,700 meters. The body of the 44-year-old South Korean climber Song Won-Bin, who had been reported missing on Saturday, was recovered near the Balcony area close to the summit.” Ang Tshering is a high-altitude guide with the Kathmandu-based Asian Trekking adventure agency. He also revealed that medical personnel from the Himalayan Rescue Association believe the German climber Eberhard Schaaf died of altitude sickness.
According to a South Korean diplomat in Kathmandu, Korean medical authorities cited two causes of death for Song Won-Bin: falling from the rock face and subsequent altitude sickness.
Other reports suggest the two deceased climbers were alumni from a high school in Daejeon, South Korea. They flew together to Nepal in late March to climb Everest as a group to commemorate the 50th anniversary of their school’s first Everest ascent. These climbers had originally planned to return home before the end of this month after successfully reaching the summit.
Tilak Pandey, a government official stationed at Everest Base Camp in Nepal, told reporters that the 33-year-old Canadian female climber Shriya Shah died on the South Side on Sunday. Shah was born in Kathmandu, grew up in Mumbai, India, and later settled in Toronto, Canada. According to her social media profile, she describes herself as an “entrepreneur, political activist, social worker, and courageous woman.” Reflecting on her Everest journey, she wrote: “This is my passion and dream. I want to do what I can for my hometown—nothing is impossible in this world.”
Another official at the South Side base camp, Deependra Paudel, told reporters that the 55-year-old Chinese climber Ha Wenyi (phonetic: Ha Wen-yi) was found dead at 8,600 meters on Everest.
Sherpa Ang Tshering said, “Most Everest fatalities are caused by altitude sickness. Because climbers exhaust themselves during the summit push, they’re often extremely fatigued on the descent and prone to accidents.” He also disclosed that one Nepalese high-altitude guide is still missing. In addition, Ang Tshering said that a Sherpa guide who had descended told him about another climber’s death on the North Side of Everest, but this incident remains unconfirmed.
Everest’s “death zone” lies above 8,000 meters. This term comes from the fact that in this extremely cold and oxygen-deprived environment, humans can barely survive for more than 48 hours.
Nepalese official Gyanendra Shrestha stated that climbing conditions on the South Side of Everest this year have been exceptionally harsh, with strong winds and heavy rain significantly delaying the high-altitude "route fixing" schedule. “Last year, the initial climbing window began on May 5, but this year it was delayed until May 18,” he said. “There are so many climbers waiting to summit now that it has almost caused congestion. According to the weather forecast, the next favorable window for summit attempts is between May 24 and 26. After May 28, however, all summit efforts will be called off as melting snow and ice set in.”
Before this Everest tragedy, two Sherpa guides had already lost their lives on the mountain this year—one fell accidentally into a glacier crevasse at 5,900 meters, and another died from altitude sickness in 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 brave mountaineers have tragically lost their lives on the slopes of the world’s highest peak.