‘Unable to save them’: Two Indian mountaineers die during Everest descent

Two Indian mountaineers died while descending Mount Everest after successfully reaching the summit, officials in Nepal confirmed to PTI on Friday.

The climbers have been identified as Arun Kumar Tiwari and Sandeep Are.

“They reportedly became exhausted during the descent and could not be rescued despite efforts by their guides, " said Rishi Bhandari, secretary general of the Expedition Operators Association of Nepal.

As cited by PTI, Bhandari said that Are summited Everest on Wednesday, while Tiwari reached the peak on Thursday at around 5:30 pm.

“The guides worked really hard, but they were unable to save them,” he said.

Are, who was among 274 climbers who scaled the 8,848.86-metre peak on Wednesday, marking the highest number of Everest summits recorded in a single day, died on Thursday, while the exact time of Tiwari’s death remains unclear.

The other Indian climbers who summited that day were Tulasi Reddi Palpunoori and Ajay Pal Singh Dhaliwal.

What causes exhaustion among mountaineers
While further details about the deaths are awaited, it is important to understand the factors causing exhaustion for climbers.

At extreme altitudes, every step requires enormous physical effort as the body struggles with oxygen levels. The brain and muscles gradually receive less oxygen, which can lead to fatigue, slower decision-making and physical weakness.

While descending, climbers already get severely drained. Most of them battle dehydration, freezing temperatures, frostbite risks and rapidly changing weather conditions.