Death Toll Grows in the Himalayas

Mount Everest's spring climbing season still has weeks to go, but the death toll is already mounting. The Independent reports that a 21-year-old Sherpa guide, Phura Gyaljen Sherpa, died after slipping and plunging into a crevasse near Camp III at roughly 23,600 feet, Nepalese officials said. Plans were said to be in the works to airlift the body off the mountain, per the Himalayan Times. He's the third person to die on Everest in two weeks, and one of five climbers killed so far in the Himalayas this season, per the Independent.

Beyond Everest, an American climber on Makalu and a Czech climber on Makalu II also both died over the past week or so, officials said. The fatalities come as traffic on the mountain grows. Nepal has issued 492 Everest permits for this year's April-May climbing window, up from the 2023 record of 478, despite global travel disruptions amid the conflict in the Middle East. Each permit costs $15,000, a key revenue source for a country that leans heavily on tourism.

Rope-fixing teams aim to complete the route to the summit by the weekend, if the weather allows. The season's start was already delayed almost two weeks after a massive ice mass blocked the route above base camp. Guiding officials say they're actually impressed that climbers are only a few days behind the usual schedule, considering that earlier delay, per Outside.