An Indian climber went missing while descending the “death zone” after scaling Mount Everest, officials said on Sunday, following the death of two climbers over the past month. Ravi Kumar, 26, was climbing down from the 8,850 metre (29,035 feet) summit and got separated from his guide near a place called Balcony on Saturday, Thupden Sherpa of the Arun Treks and Expedition company that sponsored Kumar’s team said in Kathmandu.
“Three sherpa rescuers have been sent to search for Ravi Kumar,” Thupden said, adding the climber had been out of contact.
A tourism department official, Gyanendra Shrestha, confirmed Kumar was out of contact.
An American climber also died on his way to the summit of Mount Everest, expedition organisers said, the latest death to mar the ongoing climbing season. The 50-year-old mountaineer died close to the Balcony, a small platform above the 8,000-metre mark considered the mountain’s “death zone”.
The death zone is notorious for its difficult terrain and thin air, where low levels of oxygen heighten the risk of altitude sickness.
Earlier, on April 30, a famed Swiss climber fell to his death near Mount Everest during preparations to climb the world’s highest mountain, while an 85-year-old Nepali man died at the base camp earlier this month while trying to set a record for the oldest climber.
Nepal has cleared 371 mountaineers to climb Mount Everest during the current season ending this month.
Last year five people lost their lives on the world’s highest peak.
