Kathmandu, Nepal – May 16, 2025 ( OT Web Desk): Indian mountaineer Subrata Ghosh, 45, succumbed to altitude sickness near the Hillary Step while descending from the summit of Mount Everest, officials confirmed on Friday.
His tragic demise marks the second fatality on the world’s highest peak this climbing season.
Ghosh, part of the Mountaineering Association of Krishnanagar – Snowy Everest Expedition 2025, reached the summit on Saturday afternoon. However, exhaustion set in near the treacherous Hillary Step, just below the 8,848-meter summit.
Despite warnings from his Sherpa guide, Champal Tamang, Ghosh refused to descend, leading to his untimely death.
Tamang, unable to persuade him to move, had to return alone to Camp IV, reporting the situation early Friday morning. Efforts to retrieve Ghosh’s body are underway, with a post-mortem expected to confirm the exact cause of death.
This incident follows the fatal collapse of Philipp II Santiago, a 45-year-old climber from the Philippines, at South Col earlier this week.
Both climbers were part of expeditions organised by Snowy Horizon Treks, highlighting the inherent risks of high-altitude mountaineering.
So far this season, Nepal’s Department of Tourism has issued 459 permits, with over 100 climbers already reaching the summit.
The Hillary Step, located in Everest’s death zone, remains one of the most dangerous sections of the climb due to extreme conditions and low oxygen levels.
