Two Indian Mountaineers Die During Descent from Mount Everest After Historic Surge of Climbers

The deceased climbers have been identified as Arun Kumar Tiwari and Sandeep Are. According to Rishi Bhandari, Secretary General of the Expedition Operators Association of Nepal, both climbers became severely exhausted during their descent and could not be rescued despite intensive efforts by their respective guides.

Bhandari stated that Sandeep Are reached the summit on Wednesday, while Arun Kumar Tiwari summited on Thursday at approximately 5:30 pm. He further confirmed that Are died on Thursday, while the exact time of Tiwari’s death remains unconfirmed. Officials added that further details regarding the circumstances are still awaited.

The guides reportedly made sustained efforts to save both climbers during the descent, but were ultimately unsuccessful due to their critical condition.

On Wednesday, Sandeep Are was among 274 climbers who reached the 8,848.86-metre peak, marking a new record for the highest number of successful ascents recorded in a single day. The same group also included Tulasi Reddi Palpunoori and Ajay Pal Singh Dhaliwal, both of whom successfully summited the mountain.

On the following day, Thursday, another Indian climber, Lakshmikanta Mandal, also reached the summit of Mount Everest, continuing a period of exceptionally high climbing activity on the world’s tallest peak.

The twin fatalities underscore the extreme risks associated with high-altitude mountaineering on Everest, even during record-breaking climbing seasons marked by unprecedented summit traffic.