Indian climber and Romanian videographer die during separate summit attempts on Lhotse
Rakesh Bishnoi of India and Barna Zsolt Vago of Romania lost their lives on the world's fourth-highest peak amid the spring climbing season, according to expedition operators and Nepali officials.
Nepali officials have confirmed the deaths of two climbers on Mount Lhotse over the weekend, adding to a growing list of casualties in this year’s high-altitude climbing season.
Indian national Rakesh Bishnoi, 39, died Sunday while descending after reaching the 8,516-metre summit. According to Mohan Lamsal of Makalu Adventure, his outfitter, Rakesh abandoned his attempt on Mount Everest on May 17. He, however, refused to returned to the basecamp. So, he headed for Lhotse summit. He reached the summit, but coul not make it to Camp IV on descent.
"I will soon be embarking on a summit of Everest and Lhotse. This is not just a dream for me—it is a mission to showcase Indian culture, Ayurveda, and vegetarianism to the world," Rakesh said in a promotional video, expressing gratitude to his doctor who introduced him to Ayurvedic treatment. "My objective is not just to reach the summit, but to demonstrate that vegetarianism and Ayurveda are true sources of strength."
Rakesh is well known at least in his state. He unfurled 510 feet long Indian national flag on Kilimanjaro last year. He also summited Elbrus, highest peak in Europe. Rakesh was on a mission to complete Seven Summit Challenge.
In a separate incident, Romanian climber Barna Zsolt Vago, 48, died while making a summit push on the same mountain. Vago, an experienced mountaineer and videographer, was last seen few hundreds metres below the summit at Lhotse Couloir, according to Liladhar Awasthi of the Department of Tourism.
The recent deaths on Lhotse have brought the total number of fatalities across Nepal's major peaks this season to nine, including two on Mount Everest, two on Lhotse, one French climber on Kanchenjunga, one American on Makalu, and one Austrian climber on Ama Dablam. Two Nepali guides were swept away by an Avalanche in Annapurna in first week of April.
