From Sherpas Hauling Dead Bodies, To Climbers Stepping Over Them, Scene At Mt Everest Is Morbid
There's nothing more glorious than climbing the world's tallest peak. But the not-so-rosy picture of the scenes at Mount Everest have become all too apparent in the past couple of days.
From trash strewn around and people waiting in serpentine queues to climb the mountain to Sherpa's hauling dead bodies, shocking revelations are coming forth. According to one report, in May 2019 alone 11 people have died trying to make the ascent, making it the most fatal on record.
The demand for getting to the peak has become so commercialized that most people who aren't completely ready to take on the treacherous journey are lured in by guides offering a cheaper rate.
A video, filmed by Instagram user Rohtash Khileri, shows at least 50 climbers backed up behind each other as they wait in line to continue their climb to the 8850-metre-high peak.
Reports state that deaths on the world's highest mountain have been blamed on over-crowding with teams waiting sometimes for hours in the 'death zone' where the cold is bitter, the air dangerously thin and the terrain treacherous.
Traffic jams mean people will have to spend more time at elevations that take a toll on their bodies.
Another video posted by the same user, shows Sherpas hauling a frozen corpse. The identity of the dead climber is not yet known.
Everest stands at 29,029 feet (8,848 meters) above sea level. But, climbers can begin to experience acute mountain sickness at much lower elevations of 8,200 feet, reports livescience.
Andrew Luks - a professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine - told Live Science that Acute mountain sickness causes headaches nausea, vomiting, lethargy and lightheadedness and 77% of travelers experience it.
"Even when using bottled oxygen, supplemental oxygen, there's only a very few number of hours that we can actually survive up there before our bodies start to shut down," mountain guide Adrian Ballinger told CNN.
"So that means if you get caught in a traffic jam above 26,000 feet . . . the consequences can be really severe."
Another macabre photograph has captured the chaos at Mt Everest's deadly traffic jams, as people heartlessly stepped on dead bodies to get to the peak. The picture posted by Canadian Filmmaker, Elia Saikaly has sent shock ways.
'Here we all were, chasing a dream and beneath our very feet there was a lifeless soul. Is this what Everest has become?'
The identity of the corpse is not known.
In another post Elia Saikaly wrote, 'The irony of climbing the world's tallest mountain is that it's supposed to be one of the most incredible experiences of your life and yet it's very difficult to process the magnitude of the events that are unfolding around you.'
'You're exhausted, deprived of oxygen, dehydrated, climbing towards the summit with numb extremities and yet have to perform at the highest level.'
As, National Geographic journalist Freddie Wilkinson points out, "For every Everest climber, summit day is the culmination of a journey that is probably years in the making, and certainly, requires weeks and weeks of time away from home. So everyone wants to get their best crack at the top."
The main reason behind these deadly jams on the World's highest peak is the Nepal Government's reliance on the climbing industry. Reports state that government issued a record 381 permits to scale Everest this year.
There is no cap on the number of permits it issues, or control over the pace or timing of the expeditions and guides who take advantage of brief clear weather, compromise on safety of climbers.
