Fiscal Nepal
First Business News Portal in English from Nepal
Khumbu Ice fall Mt Everest
KATHMANDU: A Nepali climber has died from altitude sickness while ascending Mount Everest, highlighting the persistent risks associated with high-altitude mountaineering during Nepal’s busy spring climbing season.
According to authorities, Bijay Ghimire Bishwakarma, a resident of Solududhkunda Municipality-7 in Solukhumbu district, died after reportedly suffering from severe altitude-related illness, locally known as “lek lagne” or acute mountain sickness, while heading toward the world’s highest peak.
Police said the incident occurred near Everest Camp I, one of the critical acclimatization points on the route to the summit of Mount Everest (Sagarmatha).
According to Police Inspector Bikash Rai, information officer at the District Police Office, Solukhumbu, Ghimire suddenly fell seriously ill at around 4:00 a.m. local time on Thursday while in the Camp I region.
Rescue efforts were immediately initiated to bring him back toward Everest Base Camp, but he died on the way, officials said.
Ghimire had joined the expedition through Trek Nepal Company and was reportedly working as a climbing guide during the current Everest season. Authorities confirmed that his body has been airlifted by helicopter to Lukla Helipad, with preparations underway to transport it to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu for further examination.
Officials said Ghimire was an experienced mountaineer and had previously successfully summited Everest, making the tragedy particularly devastating for Nepal’s climbing community.
The death comes amid the ongoing Mount Everest climbing season, when hundreds of international and Nepali climbers attempt to summit the 8,848.86-meter peak. High-altitude illnesses, including Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE), and High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE), remain among the most serious dangers for Everest climbers despite advances in expedition logistics and rescue systems.
Nepal’s Himalayas continue to attract thousands of trekkers and mountaineers annually, but experts warn that extreme altitude, unpredictable weather and oxygen deprivation make Everest one of the world’s most dangerous climbing environments.
The incident has renewed concerns around mountaineering safety, altitude adaptation, rescue preparedness and climber health monitoring during expeditions in the Nepal Himalayas.
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