Sherpa dies descending Makalu in spring's 1st 8000er death
The death came just hours after Seven Summit Treks shared on social media that he was among the twelve people to summit Makalu, the fifth highest peak in the world.
A Nepali Sherpa guide died while descending from the summit of Mount Makalu on Tuesday, according to officials at the Department of Tourism.
Rakesh Gurung, head of the mountaineering section of DoT, said that Lakpa Tenji Sherpa, a member of the Seven Summit Treks, passed away at Camp III. “He passed away at camp III while his fellow guides were carrying him down,” Gurung told Everest Chronicle.
He was 54 years old and hailed from Mahakulung in the Solukhumbu district. The death came just hours after Seven Summit Treks shared on social media that he was among the twelve people to summit Makalu, the fifth highest peak in the world. None of the Seven Summit Treks representatives were immediately available to discuss the circumstances of the death.
However, the agency informed the Department of Tourism that the Sherpa was not feeling well during the descent. This marks the first death of a Sherpa in the ongoing spring expedition of 8000ers, which refers to mountains over 8000 meters. The DoT has issued climbing permits to nearly 1000 climbers, including 412 for Mount Everest.
