An American climber on Monday died at Camp II during his acclimatization rotation, said base camp officials.
Jonathan Reuel Sugarman, 69-year-old medical doctor from Seattle of America, breathed his last while resting at the Camp. “Rescuers are trying to bring down his body to the base camp, which will then be flown to Kathmandu for autopsy,” said an official at the base camp.
The bad weather has hampered efforts to bring his body down to the base camp. Last year, Janathan had abandoned Everest expedition from camp III. He returned to pursue his dream to stand atop the world’s highest peak.
The Department of Tourism said the US embassy in Kathmandu and his expedition agencies—Beyul and International Mountain Guide—are coordinating to bring the dead body down.
This is the fourth death on Everest this season. Earlier, three climbing Sherpas were buried into crevasse in Khumbu Icefall.
It is snowing on Everest. Most climbers have descended to the base camp after the weather condition deteriorated in the Himalayas. The rope fixing team has also descended to the base camp. So far, they have cleared the way to Camp IV.
This year, Nepal has issued a record 466 climbing permits for Everest. If weather window is narrow, there are chances of traffic jam on the way to the summit of Everest this year.
In 2019, at least 11 people had died on Everest without major disaster. Some of those deaths were attributed to the traffic jam.
