Why climbers die

Two climbers from the United States and Switzerland have died on Mount Everest, the first fatalities of this year's season, expedition organisers in Nepal said Thursday. But in recent seasons, Everest has seen a surge in the number of climbers, leading to overcrowding that has been blamed for multiple deaths.

Swiss climber Abdul Waraich, 40, died near the summit after reaching the top and suffering exhaustion, said Chhang Dawa Sherpa from the same organisation. American Puwei Liu, 55, reached the Hillary Step but was helped back down after he suffered snow blindness and exhaustion, organisers said. He was able to reach Camp 4, "before he suddenly passed away" late Wednesday, Chhang Dawa Sherpa said.

Eleven people died climbing the world's highest peak in , with four deaths blamed on overcrowding. The area is favoured by climbers who practise deep water soloing, or psicobloc , a style of solo climbing that takes place over water in the hope of minimising injuries.

A spokesperson for the Guardia Civil in Mallorca said the alarm had been raised shortly after noon on Tuesday when nearby swimmers who had seen the pair climbing with a chalk bag spotted a body floating in the water by Cueva de es Cossi.

The maritime rescue service arrived but there was nothing more to be done. It was in this last push that the latest -- and possibly last of the season -- death occurred. American Chris Kulish died during his descent on May The season stands in sharp contrast to , and there's a clear correlation between the number and types of deaths compared to the weather windows.

As saw an day weather window, climbers spread out their attempts. There were five deaths on the mountain in -- and none occurred in the way 's deaths did during descents shortly after reaching the peak.

One sherpa, Lam Babu Sherpa, went missing during a descent in bad weather, according to Outside magazine, and was presumed dead on May Macedonian climber Gjeorgi Petkov died May 20 of a presumed stroke, according to the Associated Press. We'll notify you here with news about. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Comments 0. Top Stories. Expert at Rittenhouse trial zeroes in on just a few minutes 1 hour ago. The quest to get anyone willing to pay has been mainly down to intense competition between operators, particularly old and new ones.

With the entry of new expedition operators offering cheaper prices, mountaineers say even some of the established ones have been forced to cut their fees. Expedition operators admit there are problems but they argue they also need to increase the number of visitors for the growth of the industry. How deadly is Mount Everest? Three more die on Everest amid overcrowding. UK man latest to die in rising Everest toll. Everest queues not sole cause of deaths, says Nepal.

Why Mount Everest's summit gets so crowded. Image source, Reuters. Climbers pay a premium in order to climb the mountain. Missed weather window. Why the summit can get so crowded How deadly is Mount Everest? Queues not 'sole reason' for Everest deaths. Image source, PA.