Two Climbers Die on Carstensz Pyramid
Two Indonesian climbers died of hypothermia after reaching the summit
Two climbers have died while on Carstensz Pyramid (4,884 m), also known as Puncak Jaya, in Indonesia this week. Two Indonesian climbers, Lilie Wijayanti Poegiono, 59, and Elsa Laksono, 60, lost their lives to hypothermia while descending.
The pair were part of a 10-member climbing team, which included musician Fiersa Besari and climbers from Russia and Turkey. The two climber started to show signs of hypothermia and were found in critical condition in the Teras 2 area. Despite rescue efforts, both were pronounced dead on Saturday.
Three others were rescued from high on the peak by guides Garrett Madison, Ben Jones, and Tashi Lakpa Sherpa.
In 2024, two other climbers lost their lives in unrelated accidents on Carstensz Peak. The first was when a climber suffered a fatal heart attack en route to the summit. Then a Chinese climber named Dong Fei fell to his death while descending from the peak. Carstensz Pyramid had been closed from 2019 to 2024, when it reopened for a short time to allow foreigners to climb it. The first ascent was in 1962 by a team lead by famed alpinist Heinrich Harrer.
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