Pemba Tashi Sherpa Dies in Fall on Everest
Reports say that the five-time Everest summiteer died after falling into a crevasse
Pemba Tashi Sherpa from Sankhuwasabha passed away after falling into a crevasse while descending from camp two to camp one on Everest earlier today.
He was part of the Climbing The Seven Summits expedition operated by TAG Nepal Treks. His body was recovered from the crevasse shortly after the accident. There are plans to airlift his body as soon as possible. Pemba, a permanent residence of Sirijung Rural Municipality in Sankhuwasabha district, had climbed Everest five times.
With Pemba’s death, this season’s death toll on Everest has reached three. On May 12, Abdul Waraich of Switzerland, and Puwei Liu of U.S.A., died during their descents.
Nearly 200 people have climbed Everest this year after the route opened on May 7. More climbers are hoping to make a summit push on May 20, but a cyclone is creating difficult conditions with strong winds.
Canadian Liliya Ianovskaia is hoping to climb Everest this month, becoming the oldest Canadian woman to do so. Read more about her story here. There were over 400 permits given out to climbers from Nepal this season, and less than 30 from China, but due to growing Covid-19 cases China has suspended all climbing permits. On May 9, Chinese state media reported that the country was planning to set up a “line of separation” at the summit, so climbers from the two countries couldn’t mingle.