Three Dead, Two Missing on Mount Everest
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iStockphoto/ThinkstockUPDATE: A Chinese climber has also been reported dead, bringing the death toll up to four. One person — a Chinese national — is still missing, but a Nepalese Sherpa guide who had been reported missing has been found safe.
(LONDON) — It was rush hour on Mount Everest this weekend with 150 climbers reaching the summit, including a 73-year-old woman, but the world’s tallest peak also claimed the lives of three climbers and two more are missing.
The first stretch of clear weather during the spring climbing season spurred the rush of climbers to crowd the trails leading to the 29,029-foot peak, which spans the borders of China, Nepal and Tibet.
A German, a Nepal-born Canadian, and a South Korean reportedly died Saturday as they descended the mountain after suffering from exhaustion and altitude sickness. A Chinese national and his Nepalese Sherpa guide are also missing.
Climbing conditions at Mount Everest have been particularly rough this season due to heavy snowfall and winds, Gyanendra Shrestha of Nepal’s Mountaineering Department told Agence France-Presse.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio