2 Climbers Die on Mount Everest

Two climbers, one from India and the other from the Philippines, have died while attempting to summit Mount Everest, highlighting the extreme risks associated with the world's highest peak as it enters peak climbing season.

According to expedition organizers, Indian climber Subrata Ghosh died on Thursday near the summit of Everest, which stands at 8,849 meters above sea level. He passed away while descending after successfully reaching the top.

Filipino climber Philip Santiago, aged 45, died on Wednesday during his ascent. He had reached Camp IV, the highest camp on Everest, and was preparing for the final push to the summit when he tragically lost his life.

Buddha Raj Bhandari of Snowy Horizon Treks & Expedition, the Nepal-based company that organized both expeditions, confirmed that the climbers' bodies remain on the mountain. No decision has yet been made on if or when retrieval operations will begin.

Bhandari noted that recovering bodies at such altitudes is extremely dangerous and expensive, requiring large teams to navigate treacherous ice-covered slopes and high-altitude risks.

The spring climbing season on Everest runs from March to the end of May, with May offering the best conditions for summit attempts. During this narrow weather window, hundreds of climbers gather on the mountain, often leading to dangerous overcrowding on the ascent routes.

Everest was first successfully summited in 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and his Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay. Since then, more than 300 people have died on the mountain, with fatalities often attributed to altitude sickness, exhaustion, extreme weather, or falls.