A record-breaking week on Mount Everest has ended in tragedy after two Indian climbers died during their descent from the world’s highest peak. On Wednesday, May 20, alone, a record 274 climbers summited Everest from the Nepal side, surpassing the previous single-day record of 223 set in 2019. More than 500 climbers reached the summit between May 19 and May 21 as teams rushed to capitalize on calm winds and stable conditions high on the mountain.
Nepalese officials confirmed that Arun Kumar Tiwari and Sandeep Are died after successfully summiting Everest during one of the busiest summit windows in the mountain’s history. According to Nepal’s Expedition Operators Association (EOAN), Sandeep Are summited on Wednesday before developing severe complications during the descent. Arun Kumar Tiwari reached the summit on Thursday evening but later died near the Hillary Step, one of Everest’s most dangerous sections located in the so-called “death zone” above 8,000 meters.
Officials said Sherpa guides attempted extensive rescue efforts, but both climbers succumbed during the descent, the phase many mountaineers consider more dangerous than the climb itself due to exhaustion, dehydration, altitude sickness, and deteriorating judgment. The deaths pushed Everest’s spring season death toll to at least five.
The record crowds have reignited long-running debates about overcrowding on Everest, where climbers can spend hours exposed to extreme altitude while waiting in bottlenecks near the summit ridge and Hillary Step. Even with modern forecasting, supplemental oxygen, and commercial expedition infrastructure, the mountain remains unforgiving.
Photos and drone footage from this week showed long lines of climbers snaking across the upper mountain as summit attempts stretched across an 11-hour period.
This year’s season has also featured several major milestones. British mountaineer Kenton Cool reached the summit for a record 20th time, the most ascents ever by a non-Nepali climber. Meanwhile, legendary Sherpa guide Kami Rita Sherpa extended his own all-time Everest record earlier this month with his 32nd summit.
Nearly 500 foreign climbing permits were issued by Nepal this season despite rising permit fees and ongoing concerns from climbers and safety experts about congestion on the route. Despite what some call an over-commercialization of the world’s tallest peak, Everest remains for many the ultimate mountaineering achievement. The government introduced the fee increase as well as other rules and charges in a bid to limit numbers but has so far not been able to reduce the rush to the 8,849-meter peak.
