Friday, March 29, 2024
ADVT 
International

Deaths rise as Nepal issues more permits for Mount Everest

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 07 Jun, 2019 06:00 PM

    Scaling Mount Everest was a dream few realized before Nepal opened its side of the mountain to commercial climbing a half-century ago. This year the government issued a record number of permits, leading to traffic jams on the world's highest peak that likely contributed to the greatest death toll in four years.

    As the allure of Everest grows, so have the crowds, with inexperienced climbers faltering on the narrow passageway to the peak and causing deadly delays, veteran climbers said.

    After 11 people died this year, Nepal tourism officials have no intention of restricting the number of permits issued, instead encouraging even more tourists and climbers to come "for both pleasure and fame," said Mohan Krishna Sapkota, secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation.

    Nepal, one of the world's poorest countries, relies on the climbing industry to bring in $300 million each year. It doesn't cap the number of permits it issues or control the pace or timing of the expeditions, leaving that to tour operators and guides who take advantage of brief clear weather conditions whenever they come, leading to pileups near the peak.

    On May 22, a climber snapped a photo from a line with dozens of hikers in colorful winter gear that snaked into the sky.

    Climbers were crammed crampon-to-crampon along a sharp-edged ridge above South Col, with a 7,000-foot (2,000-meter) drop on either side, all clipped onto a single line of rope, trudging toward the top of the world and risking death as each minute ticked by.

    The death toll this season is the highest since 2015. Most of those who died are believed to have suffered from altitude sickness, which is caused by low amounts of oxygen at high elevation and can cause headaches, vomiting, shortness of breath and mental confusion.

    Once only accessible to well-heeled elite mountaineers, Nepal's booming climbing market has driven down the cost of an expedition, opening Everest up to hobbyists and adventure-seekers. Nepal requires climbers to have a doctors' note deeming them physically fit, but not to prove their stamina at such extreme heights.

    Because of the altitude, climbers have just hours to reach the top before they are at risk of a pulmonary edema, when the lungs fill with liquid. From Camp Four at 8,000 metres (26,240 feet) to the 8,850-meter (29,035-foot) peak, the final push on Everest is known as the "death zone."

    The conditions are so intense at such times that when a person dies, no one can afford to expend energy on carrying the body down from the mountain.

    This year, permits were issued to 381 people in 44 teams, the highest number ever, according to the government. They were accompanied by an equal number of guides from Nepal's ethnic Sherpa community. Some climbers were originally issued permits in 2014 that were revoked mid-season when 16 Sherpa guides died in an avalanche and other Sherpas, whose support as guides and porters is essential, effectively went on strike.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Progress in US-Mexico talks not nearly enough: Trump

    Progress in US-Mexico talks not nearly enough: Trump
    "Immigration discussions at the White House with representatives of Mexico have ended for the day. Progress is being made, but not nearly enough," Trump

    Progress in US-Mexico talks not nearly enough: Trump

    Sri Lanka to amend laws on fake news

    The Cabinet also approved to impose a fine of 1 million SL rupees ($5,650) on the offenders.

    Sri Lanka to amend laws on fake news

    Keep alive alliance of free people: Macron tells Trump

    Macron saluted the sacrifice of American officers who had helped "liberating a land they had never crossed"

    Keep alive alliance of free people: Macron tells Trump

    Philippines lifts Canadian travel ban but no return of ambassador yet

    Philippine executive secretary Salvador Medialdea issued a memo to department heads and government corporations June 4 saying the ban on travel to Canada and on interactions with Canadian officials is over.

    Philippines lifts Canadian travel ban but no return of ambassador yet

    US measles count surpasses 1,000

    The nation last saw this many cases in 1992, when more than 2,200 were reported.

    US measles count surpasses 1,000

    Pramila Jayapal is 1st South Asian American woman to chair US House

    Jayapal, who was first elected to the Congress in 2016, tweeted she was "beyond proud" to preside over the House and serve in the most diverse Congress in the nation's history.

    Pramila Jayapal is 1st South Asian American woman to chair US House

    PrevNext