Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Araghchi: We have always supported Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity at all times, we still do in these difficult circumstances.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi from Beirut: Lebanon's independence and territorial integrity are of great importance to Iran, we support it against occupation.
Israeli army admits 3 soldiers of rank of Staff Sergeant were killed, 2 others injured in northern Gaza.
Occupied Palestine: Palestinian media: Martyrs and injuries as a result of the Israeli occupation firing on displaced people while they were waiting for aid west of Rafah.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in occupied Palestine: 3 martyrs, including a child, as a result of Israeli occupation forces bombing displaced persons' tents in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
Israeli media: Yedioth Ahronoth: Concern in "Israel" over changes within the US administration in recent days.
Al-Qassam Brigades says its fighters are engaging in fierce clashes with the occupation forces, killing and wounding soldiers east of Jabalia camp.
Israeli media platforms are circulating preliminary reports about a multi-causalty ambush in Jabalia camp, Gaza.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: 35 martyrs, 75 injured in occupation targeting of civilians seeking food aid in Rafah, Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
Da Silva: What is happening in Gaza is not a war, it is a genocide

Record number of deaths on Everest as Nepal increases permits

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News Websites
  • 26 May 2023 09:33
3 Min Read

Nepal has given out a total of 478 permits to those aspiring to climb the summit.

  • x
  • Record number of deaths on Everest
    A porter carries goods at camp four at Everest, in this picture taken on May 20, 2016. (Reuters)

The newest climbing season on Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain, is shaping up to be one of the deadliest in history, sparking concerns that Nepal is giving too many permits in order to maximize tourist profits.

Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada, the head of Nepal's tourist department, told Bloomberg News that the death toll is now at eight, with five more persons missing.

The number of fatalities is certain to exceed the 11 recorded in 2019, when photographs of enormous traffic congestion at the summit went viral across the world.

The deaths come after the Nepali government issued a record 478 permits in 2023.

Read more: Nepali mountaineer becomes first to climb world's 8,000m peaks twice

According to statistics kept by the US-based non-profit organization The Himalayan Database, the worst year in Everest climbing history was 2014, when at least 17 local personnel were killed, the most from a massive avalanche.

Permits for foreigners to climb Everest cost $11,000 (S$15,000) and had already earned Nepal's economy more than $5 million in 2023. The administration has avoided making substantial reforms to limit the number of licenses issued.

Related News

UK climber breaks record for most times Everest climbed by non-sherpa

Nepali sherpa becomes 2nd person to climb Mount Everest 26 times

According to Alan Arnette, a blogger who climbed Everest in 2011, people are "seduced and enamoured" by climbing the peak, and "there’s nobody there that will tell them ‘no’ because they’ve paid the money." Arnette believes operators and authorities do not want the profits to dip, and therefore have not taken proper safety measures.

“It’s a pure and simple business decision," he said.

Nepal, one of Asia's poorest regions, has benefited from a surge in climbing tourism, fueled in part by the expanding riches of India and China.

While the world's tallest mountain, which rises at around 8,849m, is also accessible through China, climbers there are needed to have previously scaled an 8,000m peak, prompting many to go to Nepal, where such limitations do not exist.

In 2023, 97 Chinese climbers tried to summit Everest, making them the largest national group, followed by the United States and India.

Read next: UK climber breaks record for most times Everest climbed by non-sherpa

“You’re going to have some people that are climbing that are inexperienced with unqualified guides,” Khatiwada stated.

“Being at that altitude and under that physicality, the demands are just unpredictable. And as a result, you don’t know what you don’t know.”

Climbers on Everest are also becoming older, raising the stakes. The average age of climbers climbing Everest is currently 42, up from 34 in 1982.

 

  • Mount Everest
  • Nepal
  • Kathmandu

Most Read

Lebanon's PM Nawaf Salam meets with US envoy Morgan Ortagus in Beirut on April 5, 2025 (Dalati Nohra via AP)AP)

Morgan Ortagus to exit US role in Lebanon amid policy shift

  • Politics
  • 1 Jun 2025
An Israeli army vehicle moves in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern occupied Palestine, Thursday, May 29, 2025 (AP)

Hamas rejects Witkoff ceasefire plan, says alters terms

  • Politics
  • 29 May 2025
Spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, announces a new operation against Ben Gurion Airport on May 29, 2025 (Yemeni Military Media)

Yemen announces successful hypersonic missile strike on Ben Gurion

  • Politics
  • 30 May 2025
It may well be due to the longstanding relationship between MI6 and HTS, via Inter Mediate, that Britain was the first Western country to recognise their assumption of government in Syria. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab El-Hajj)

How MI6 helped HTS seize Syria

  • Opinion
  • 31 May 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Army commanders tour the operations sectors of the Iraqi army Seventh Brigade, in Anbar, Iraq, Sunday, December 29, 2019 (AP)
Politics

Kataib Hezbollah warns US forces against postponing Iraq withdrawal

(@rafaelmgrossi)
Politics

Egypt urges 'Israel' to join NPT, citing regional nuclear imbalance

AP
Politics

US deal proposal allows Iran to enrich Uranium to Low-Level: Reports

screengrab
Politics

Former Biden spox. Matthew Miller says 'Israel' committed war crimes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS