Authorities are increasingly losing hope of finding two Mongolian climbers alive after they vanished near the summit of Mount Everest, with search and rescue efforts hampered by harsh weather conditions.
It’s been more than 84 hours since the expedition organizer heard from Usukhjargal Tsedendamba, 53, and Purevsuren Lkhagvajav, 31, who were part of a nine-member Mongolian expedition organized by 8K Expedition.
The search and rescue team has faced difficulties carrying out the search above Camp IV due to the jet stream. In fact, there is no summit for the past two days due to high wind with speed over 80km per hour. Many climbers were forced to turn back from Balcony, according to base camp managers.
Pemba Sherpa of 8K Expeditions said that the search and rescue team couldn’t do anything on Wednesday due to bad weather. “We are waiting for weather to improve to send the search team above base camp,” he said.
Officials said the delays in conducting ground search in areas above Camp IV were diminishing the chances of finding them alive with each passing hour.
The areas above Camp IV, where the two climbers are believed to be, are known as the death zone—a term used for altitudes above 8,000 meters where oxygen levels are too low to support life without supplemental oxygen.
“It would be miraculous if we found them alive, as no climber, as far as I can remember, has survived for so long at that altitude,” an official, who wished to remain anonymous, said, indicating that the focus has now shifted to locating the bodies.
Officials haven’t been able to connect the dots to speculate on the whereabouts and what might have happened to the two climbers. As per the Department of Tourism (DoT), on May 10, the pair set out from base camp and reached Camp II. They spent the night of May 11 at Camp III. On May 12, they advanced to Camp IV and commenced their summit attempt later that day, beginning at 7 pm. They were reportedly en route to the summit when last sighted by a group of climbers from TAG Nepal on Monday morning, but no further information is available regarding their condition. The two had reportedly left the radio set meant for communication before the summit push.
The climbers had only paid for the base camp service and bottled oxygen but were climbing on their own without Sherpa assistance, according to 8K expeditions.
“They were confident about their skill and strength. They told us that they were professional climbers and need no Sherpa support,” Lakpa told Everest Chronicle on Tuesday, adding, “We even offered them our guides for free, but they turned down the request.”
Rakesh Gurung, DoT chief of the Mountaineering section, said that the two Sherpas sent for search and rescue on Tuesday have been stranded at Camp IV, while the other two Sherpas dispatched have now reached Camp III.
This is the first major incident to come from the world’s highest peak this spring season. Many expedition groups have been in summit push since the ropes were laid to the summit on Friday. A total of 416 climbers have taken permits excluding Sherpa, who do not require permits, according to DoT.
