Two Climbers, Including Indian and Filipino Nationals, Die on Mount Everest in Ongoing Climbing Season
Two Climbers, Including Indian and Filipino Nationals, Die on Mount Everest in Ongoing Climbing Season
Kathmandu, 18 May 2025 : The 2025 spring climbing season on Mount Everest has claimed its first fatalities, with an Indian and a Filipino mountaineer tragically losing their lives while attempting or returning from the summit of the world's tallest mountain, officials confirmed on Friday.
Subrata Ghosh, a 45-year-old climber from India, died on Thursday during his descent from Everest after successfully reaching the 8,849-metre (29,032-foot) summit. According to Bodhraj Bhandari of Snowy Horizon Treks and Expedition—the organizing firm—Ghosh reportedly refused to descend after reaching a point just below the notorious Hillary Step, a vertical rock face located in Everest's treacherous "death zone." No further details have been released about the circumstances surrounding his refusal to descend.
The Hillary Step lies between the South Col and the summit at an altitude exceeding 8,000 metres, a region where oxygen levels are dangerously low and survival without supplemental oxygen becomes nearly impossible.
Efforts are currently underway to retrieve Ghosh’s body and transport it to base camp. The definitive cause of death will be determined following a post-mortem examination, said Bhandari.
In a separate incident, another climber—Philipp II Santiago, also 45, from the Philippines—died late Wednesday at the South Col while ascending toward the summit. Tourism department official Himal Gautam stated that Santiago appeared exhausted upon reaching Camp IV and later passed away while resting inside his tent.
Both climbers were part of an international expedition managed by Snowy Horizon Treks and Expedition.
Nepal, which heavily relies on mountaineering and trekking for revenue and employment, has issued 459 permits for Everest climbs this season. More than 100 climbers, along with their guides, have already reached the summit this week, despite the associated risks.
Over the last century, Everest has seen at least 345 recorded deaths, according to official data from the Himalayan Database and mountaineering authorities.
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