A Nepali Sherpa guide slipped into a crevasse and died on Mount Everest, bringing the mountain’s death toll for May to five, officials said. The guide fell near Camp III at about 7,200 m (23,620 ft), marking the third fatality on Everest in two weeks.
Seasoned climbers from the Expedition Operators’ Association of Nepal plan to fix ropes on the standard route to the summit by the weekend, officials said, which would allow teams to begin upward movement if weather permits. Despite travel disruptions tied to the Middle East conflict, tourism officials say interest in Everest remains strong.
Himal Gautam of Nepal’s tourism department said the country has issued 492 permits for Everest so far this climbing season (April–May), each costing $15,000, an increase from 478 permits in 2023. Nepal has opened more than 400 Himalayan peaks to climbers, though just over two dozen—including Everest, which stands at 8,849 m (29,032 ft)—attract most expeditions.
The latest fatality raises the season’s Himalayan climbing deaths to five in the cash-strapped South Asian nation, where mountaineering is an important source of income and employment. Authorities identified the Sherpa who died near Camp III as Phura Gyaljen Sherpa, 21.
Other recent deaths include Bijay Ghimire Bishwakarma, 35, who died during an acclimatisation exercise in the Khumbu icefall, and 51-year-old Lakpa Dendi Sherpa, who died en route to base camp earlier this month. Outside Everest, American climber Johannesen Shelley, 53, died on Makalu, the world’s fifth highest peak at 8,463 m (27,765 ft), and Czech climber David Ronbinek died on nearby Makalu II (7,678 m/25,190 ft), officials said; they did not provide further details.
In April, a large block of ice among other seracs delayed the opening of the summit route by nearly two weeks, leaving hundreds of climbers stranded at base camp while teams worked to clear and secure the path.
