Two Dead And Others Missing As Frostbite, Sickness Strikes Dozens On Mount Everest
Eric Arnold
Two people died while climbing Mount Everest over the weekend, and around 30 others suffered from frostbite or sickness.
At least two others were missing as of Sunday, the Himalayan Times reported.
With weather favorable, nearly 400 people have reached the summit over the last several weeks, the Associated Press reported. But in spite of the good conditions, risks of altitude, temperature, and dangerous terrain remain.
Friday marked the first fatality of the year on Everest, the world's highest mountain.
Eric Arnold, 35, died from altitude sickness as his group was descending from the summit, the AP reported. The Dutch professional climber had earlier written on his blog that it was his fifth attempt to reach the summit; Previous expeditions had fallen short due to injury, avalanche, and 2015's devastating earthquake in Nepal.
Arnold also raised money for ALS research as he climbed. He wrote he hoped to become the first Dutchman to climb Kangchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world.
Eric Arnold
On Saturday, another member of his climbing group also died after suffering altitude sickness. Maria Strydom was a finance lecturer at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. The 34-year-old had had made the climb with her husband. On Facebook, Strydom's mother said she was devastated by the loss and praying for the safe return of her son-in-law.
An experienced climber, Strydom discussed the risks of attempting Everest in a university newsletter in March. She said she put her focus on training, and added that if she was successful, she hoped to climb Everest again or travel to Antarctica's Mount Vinson.
"I guess everyone who gets into high altitude mountain climbing casts a fleeting thought towards Mount Everest,” Strydom said in March. “Once we decided to climb the seven summits we knew we would have to confront Mount Everest at some point.”
On Sunday, the Himalayan Times reported that two members of another climbing group had been out of contact since the previous night.
Paresh Nath and Goutam Ghosh, from West Bengal, India, remained missing after two others in their group were rescued by sherpas.