Deaths on Mount Everest

DEATHS ON MOUNT EVEREST



Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world at 29,035 (8,850 meters), is also the highest graveyard on planet earth. Many climbers have died on Mount Everest since 1921 and over 200 of them are still on the mountain. Some are buried in crevasses. Some fell down remote parts of the mountain. Some are buried in snow and ice. Some lie in the open. And some side beside the popular routes up Everest. There is no firm count of the exact number of climbers that have died on Mount Everest, but as of 2012 it is about 235 people. Below, are the top ten in deaths.



Cerebral oedema 5



Exhaustion 7



Altitude Sickness 9



Unknown 22



Fall 48



Avalanche 51



Exposure 25



Disappeared 15



Heart Attack 8



Fall Into a Crevasse



Most Die While Descending



Most climbers die while descending the upper slopes of Mount Everest, often after having reached the summit, in the area above 8,000 meters called the "Death Zone." The high elevation and corresponding lack of oxygen coupled with extreme temperatures and weather conspired to create a greater risk of death than on the mountain's lower slopes.



Death Rate Increased



Since the 1980s, when more climbers began ascending above 8,000 meters than previously, the date rate for climbers who died descending the mountain jumped. On the South Col Route on the Nepalese side of Mount Everest, 2.5 percent of descending climbers died, while on the Northeast Ridge Route in Tibet the number of descending deaths is 3.4 percent.



Death of David Sharp



There are many tragic stories like that of British climbers David Sharp, who sat down under the overhang 1,500 feet below the summit on May 15, 2006 after successfully climbing Mount Everest. He was extremely tired after a long summit day and began freezing in place as he sat there. As many as 40 climbers trudged past him, believing already dead or not wanting to rescue him, on one of the coldest nights that spring. A party passed him at 1 in the morning, saw he was breathing still, but continued on to the summit since they didn't feel they could evacuate him. Sharp continued freezing through the night and the next morning. He had no gloves on. He was undoubtedly hypoxic from lack of oxygen and probably had no idea where he was nor felt any pain.



High-Altitude Cerebral Edema



Along with extreme fatigue, many Everest climbers who die develop symptoms like loss of coordination, confusion, lack of judgement, and they may even slip into unconscious-all symptoms of high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE). HACE often occurs at high elevations when the brain swells from the leakage of cerebral blood vessels. Most Die While Descending Most climbers die while descending the upper slopes of Mount Everest, often after having reached the summit, in the area above 8,000 meters called the "Death Zone." The DEATHS ON MOUNT EVEREST Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world at 29,035 feet (8,850 meters), is also the highest graveyard on planet earth. Many climbers have died on Mount Everest since 1921 and over 200 of them are still on the mountain. Some are buried in crevass- es. Some fell down remote parts of the mountain. Some are buried in snow and ice. Some lie in the open. And some sit beside the popular routes up Everest. There is no firm count of the exact number of climbers that have died on Mount Everest, but as of 2012 it is about 235 people. Below, are the top ten in deaths. high elevation and corresponding lack of oxygen coupled with extreme temperatures and weather conspire to create a greater risk of death than on the mountain's lower slopes. 51 Death Rate Increased 48 Since the 1980s, when more climbers began ascending above 8,000 meters than previously, the death rate for climbers who died descending the mountain jumped. On the South Col Route on the Nepalese side of Mount Everest, 2.5 percent of descending climbers died, while on the North- east Ridge Route in Tibet the number of descending deaths is 3.4 percent. Death of David Sharp There are many tragic stories like that of British climber David Sharp, who sat down under an overhang 1,500 feet below the summit on May 15, 2006 after successfully climbing Mount Everest. He was extremely tired after a long summit day and began freezing in place as he sat there. As many as 40 climbers trudged past him, believing him al- ready dead or not wanting to rescue him, on one of the coldest nights that spring. A party passed him at 1 in the morning, saw he was breath- ing still, but continued on to the summit since they didn't feel they could evacuate him. Sharp continued freezing through the night and the next morning. He had no gloves on. He was undoubtedly hypoxic from lack of oxygen and probably had no idea where he was nor felt any pain. 22 15 5 High-Altitude Cerebral Edema Along with extreme fatigue, many Everest climbers who die develop symptoms like loss of coordination, confusion, lack of judgment, and they may even slip into uncon- scious-all symptoms of high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE). HACE often occurs at high elevations when the brain swells from the leakage of cere- bral blood vessels. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_who_died_climbing_Mount_Everest http://climbing.about.com/od/mountainclimbing/a/Death-On-Mount-Everest.htm © Copyright 2013 Heriberto Ed Hernandez. All rights reserved. Scriptron.com Cerebral oedema Exhaustion Altitude Sickness Unknown Fall Avalanche Exposure 25 Disappeared Heart Attack Fall Into a Crevasse