KATHMANDU, Nepal: Rescuers have found the body of a second Mongolian climber who went missing on Mount Everest, expedition organizers said Sunday, confirming the second death on the world’s highest peak this climbing season.
Purevsuren Lkhagvajav, 31, and Usukhjargal Tsedendamba, 53, were last in contact Sunday evening from Camp 4, which is situated less than a kilometre below the summit.
Tsedendamba’s body was found at an altitude of 8,600 meters Friday morning after days of search and rescue operations hampered by bad weather.
The second body was also found on Friday but needed verification, said Pemba Sherpa of 8k Expeditions adding “Yesterday we confirmed it was him.” 8k Expeditions organized the pair’s climbing permit and stay at base camp.
“We are trying to bring the bodies down.” Four guides had been sent for their search and rescue.
Lkhagvajav’s body was found near an area called the balcony, a small plateau at an altitude of about 27,560 ft.
Sherpa said the two men were climbing without a guide and that their walkie-talkie was found in their tent.
Nepal’s tourism department said in a statement on Tuesday that another team spotted the pair “heading towards the summit of Everest” on Monday morning.
Hundreds of climbers flock to Nepal – home to eight of the world’s 14 highest peaks – to summit in the spring climbing season, when temperatures are warmer and winds are usually calm.
Nepal has issued more than 900 permits for its mountains this year, including 419 for Everest, earning more than $5 million in royalties.
Around 80 climbers have already reached the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) summit of Everest after a rope fixing team reached the summit last month.
Two climbers have died this year on nearby Makalu, the fifth highest peak in the world.
French climber Johnny Saliba, 60, died at an altitude of 8,120 meters (26,640 feet) during his summit last week.
Last week on the same peak, a 53-year-old Nepali guide died while descending from the peak.
