Everest Fatality: How many people have lost their lives on Everest?

Everest is the final horizon for many climbers. The glory of summiting the world’s highest brings mountaineers every year. But not all become immortalized as someone who conquered Everest.

Every year, hundreds of climbers reach the foot of Everest. The prestige of reaching the summit makes the Everest expedition popular among climbers. But not all of them reach the summit. Some turn back due to various factors.

Hundreds of people lost their lives in their pursuit of glory. Many lose their lives due to unexpected weather changes. Similarly, some died from exposure to extreme temperatures. For every hundred successful summits, one pays the ultimate price.

Deadly Reputation of Everest: Death count over 300

Nature is unforgiving, and Everest is no different. The highest peak in the world has claimed over 300 dead bodies. What’s more frightening? These are deaths officially recorded; the numbers could be much higher.

Freak accidents and storms are some of the rarest cases that lead to fatality. For example, the 2015 Nepal Earthquake remains the deadliest incident on Everest. Mortality rates are surprisingly low. The rates have been 1% in the past 30 years and 4% in a successful summit.

Death rates have dropped since the early days. The number of deaths on Everest ranges from 3 to 5. Improvements in gear and better education about risks have lowered the death toll. Yet, your level of preparation still plays a crucial role.

Commercial expeditions changed the game. The expeditions only bring the most talented guides to the peak. Similarly, before venturing to the mountain, companies usually train their clients. But the training durations may vary in different expedition companies.

Key Statistics and Data Visualization of

The first recorded death on the mountain itself was of seven Nepali porters, or Sherpas. These seven Sherpas died in an avalanche. They were part of the 1922 British Mount Everest Expedition. They perished below North Col.

Deaths per decade, 1950s to 2020s:

Top 5 deadliest years on Everest

Scaling Everest is a trying job for any climber. Similarly, the risk of death looms over. A simple mistake in time management can prove fatal. There isn’t a year, aside from 2020, when mountaineer didn’t lose their life.

Everest has seen fatalities every year. However, some years proved to be the deadliest. Here’s the top five deadliest years on Everest:

Worst Year for Everest and Nepal, 2015:

The year 2015 was Nepal’s darkest moment in recent history. A massive 7.8 magnitude quake hit Nepal. The disaster killed thousands of people, injuring over 22,000, and displacing 2.8 million.

The massive earthquake caused a deadly avalanche on Everest. In one fell swoop, over 20 people died in the disaster.  

The first reports stated that nineteen died from the avalanche. But later, on April 27, 2015, National Geographic reported 24 fatalities.

Second-Worst Year for Everest Expedition 2023:

The year 2023 saw the highest death toll in Everest's history. Eighteen confirmed deaths were reported on Everest.

It was reported that two climbers went missing. But after no contact, they were presumed dead. Later, the total fatalities were chalked up to 20.

Third Most Deadly Year on Everest, 2014:

On April 18, 2014, a deadly ice avalanche was recorded. Huge chunks of ice slid down the dangerous Khumbu Icefall. The disaster took the lives of sixteen Sherpas.

The ice avalanche is listed as one of the deadliest incidents on Everest. Like the event of 2015, the single event took 16 people’s lives.

The Disastrous Everest Season, 1996:

The 1996 Everest disaster is the most well-known. Names like Rob Hall and Green Boots became a cautionary tale after the 1996 Everest Disaster. The tragic event took the lives of 15 climbers.

The survivors of the disaster went on to write books about their experiences. Among them, the book by Jon Krakauer, Into Thin Air, put the incident in the spotlight. The movie, Everest, brought it back to the limelight in 2015.

Dangerous Overcrowding on Everest 2012:

One of the key reasons for the 1996 disaster was overcrowding at the summit. 2012 saw a similar scene at Everest’s peak. The long queue at the top exposed the climbers to harsh conditions.

The low oxygen levels in the death zone afflicted the climbers. But thin air wasn’t their only enemy at an elevation of over 8,500 meters. The sub-zero temperature deteriorated the climber’s body.

Bodies still frozen and unrecovered on Everest

Hundreds of bodies remain in the icy resting place on Everest. Furthermore, it is estimated that over 200 bodies remain on the mountain. 60% of the 300+ fatalities are stranded.

Most remains are covered in snow and ice. Moreover, many climbers succumb to their deaths in the Rainbow Valley. The valley is at an altitude of 8,400 meters, in the death zone. The human body is on a timer after reaching an elevation of 8,000, and staying at that altitude for a long time can be fatal.

Problems while retrieving a body

Recovering a body from the Rainbow Valley in the Khumbu region is extremely hard. Aside from the taxing labour, it is also expensive to bring a body from the death zone. It can take from tens of thousands of dollars to over a hundred thousand for a single body.

Removing a body at a higher altitude endangers the rescue teams. The risks in the Death Zone make it incredibly difficult for a retrieval operation.

Bodies remerging with the melting snow caps

Climate change has brought forth many problems. The bodies are now being uncovered as the ice on Everest melts.

The most common causes of Death on Everest

Mountaineers lose their lives from varying causes on Everest. Freak accidents or a heart attack could lead one to an icy grave on Everest. But what are the most common causes of fatalities on Everest?

Avalanches 29.3%

One of the most common causes of death on a snow peak is an avalanche. Everest has seen many avalanches in the past. The most catastrophic of which was in 2014 and 2015.

Others 27.3%

The unpredictable nature of Everest has claimed the lives of many climbers. The story of mountaineers dying from icefalls and rockfalls has also been reported. Heart attacks and lack of experience have caused many deaths on Everest.

Falls 11.1%

Falls while climbing mountains have killed many people globally. But on Everest, climbers fell from ropes, ladders, and ridge crossings.

Acute Mountain Sickness 10.1% 

Acclimatization is crucial for any climber. Given the tight schedule during the Everest Expedition, very few can adapt quickly. Serious afflictions like HAPE and HACE claimed many lives.

HAPE can be fatal 50% of the time. But with treatment, its mortality rate goes to 11%. HACE, on the other hand, is fatal within 48 hours. Treatment does improve the outcome, but it takes weeks to recover.

Exhaustion and Exposure 11.1%

Exposure means a prolonged contact with extreme cold, wind, and altitude. It usually happens while waiting in traffic jams above 8000m. It can lead to frostbite, hypothermia, loss of physical coordination, and mental clarity.

Exhaustion happens when energy is depleted completely. It is due to oxygen deprivation, poor sleep, and nutrition at high elevation.

Crevasse 11.1%

Crevasses are one of the most dangerous traps on Everest. They are deep and narrow cracks on the glacier. At times, these crevasses are hundreds of feet deep. They are extremely dangerous in the Khumbu Icefall.

Pie chart: Causes of death:

Notable Deaths and Incidents

• Rob Hall and Doug Hansen (1996) – The 1996 Everest Disaster

• Green Boots (1996) – Now a grim landmark after the 1996 Everest Disaster

• Francys Arsentiev (1998) – Sleeping Beauty of Everest.

• David Sharp (2006) – Dead next to Green Boots alone, while others passed by.

• Ueli Steck (2017) – Legendary climber who died training for the Everest-Lhotse traverse.

Everest’s Traffic Jam Problem

The traffic jam on Everest is the long queue of climbers on a narrow ridge. Overcrowding of mountaineers happens above Camp IV (7,900). Most commonly, the traffic remains heavy in the Death Zone.

Queues near Hillary Step and South Summit are among the most dangerous. Furthermore, only one climber can pass through from those points.

The line of climbers on the Hillary Step is known as the death queue.

The 2019 expedition is one of the deadliest cases of overcrowding. 11 climbers died due to a bottleneck near the summit. Most passed away due to exhaustion and exposure.

Everest’s Death Zone (8,000m and above)

We mention the Death Zone many times, but what exactly is it? It is an area above an altitude of 8,000 meters. It is a place with far less oxygen in the air. Moreover, the air pressure is one-third of sea level.

While climbers do take supplemental oxygen, it isn’t enough. A mountaineer’s body starts dying. The muscles start breaking down, starving the brain and weakening vital organs.

There are many ways a human body deteriorates in the death zone. 

Hypoxia:

In a state of Hypoxia, a climber becomes confused. His body coordination becomes poor. The patient starts hallucinating and has slurred speech.

High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema:

Fluid fills the lungs of the climber with HAPE. They start to suffocate, even with supplemental oxygen. Signs of HAPE are shortness of breath and coughing up frothy mucus.

Muscle Breakdown and Physical Collapse:

Oxygen deprivation causes the body to use its tissues for energy. Fatigue becomes overwhelming, and the climber may collapse. They become unable to move and must be helped.

Frostbite and Hypothermia:

Climbers face winds that are below freezing temperatures. The winds on Everest are -40 degrees. These wind freezes skins within minutes. After the body temperature drops, hypothermia kicks in. It leads a person to unconsciousness and, if left unattended, to death.

Why is rescue nearly impossible at that altitude?

The only rescue you can depend on at Everest is self-rescue. And in the death zone, outside help is all but impossible. Helicopters can’t go past 7,000 meters.

The engine limitation and thin air affect a helicopter’s flight reliability

Fellow climbers themselves would be too exhausted to help. Carrying or even dragging someone so high is impossible. Rescue Sherpas can only help those who are conscious and least injured.

The ascent rarely takes the lives of the climbers. The mountaineers lose the fight in the death zone on their descent. The stories of Francys Arsentiev, Green Boots, and David Sharp happened in the Death Zone.

What the deaths on Everest taught us

Not everyone should aim to summit Everest. Scaling Everest isn’t a run-up-a-hill trek. It is a deadly, high-stakes expedition. Moreover, it demands physical, mental, and emotional strength.

The result starts months before the climb. Even before Everest, many climbers had completed many 6,000-plus peaks. They train for months to develop technical climbing skills. It builds high-altitude endurance needed for the Everest Expedition.

Mountaineers should keep a rigorous acclimatization schedule. They need to ascend slowly. Likewise, climbers need to keep an eye out for altitude sickness symptoms. They need to turn around if their health declines. The silent killer on Everest is summit fever.

Everest Demands Respect

Everest is a place to be humble, not to show off. Climbers who overestimate their capabilities pay the price with their lives.

Everest doesn’t care about vanity. The mountain teaches us that preparation is survival. The wisdom in humility, and the death sentence in ego. Summiting Everest is a privilege, not a right. 

The Pursuit of Everest: Is it worth the dangers?

Is climbing Everest worth the risk? Climbing Everest is a dream for many mountaineers. They dream of carving a name for themselves as one of the conquerors of the highest peak.

Summiting Everest shows the pinnacle of human endurance. But as death tolls rise, so do the ethical questions. The most common question asked is whether risking your life to summit is an act of bravery or vanity?

To be candid, it is a bit of both. Vanity brings climbers to Everest. Bravery takes them up the mountain. But the mountaineers with their egos rarely come back from the climb. Those facing the peak with respect and preparation deserve to return alive. 

The fine line between adventure and recklessness.

What draws people back despite the dangers on Everest?

Those aware of the dangers know you cannot summit Everest on a single try. If you force the summit, you might pay the ultimate price. As such, many come to Everest for redemption.

Everest represents the purest form of exploration left for some. To them, the mountain is a place where nothing is guaranteed. The thrill of where every decision matters brings unfiltered joy to these people.

Scaling Everest can become a life-defining achievement. Some climbers become allured by the promise of legacy and identity.

Everest: The mountain of dreams and graves

Everest is a dream for many mountaineers. But it became a graveyard for hundreds of climbers. Climbers' biggest goal is to summit Everest. Many did attain their dream of conquering Everest. Some weren’t so lucky.

Understanding the risks is part of respecting the climb. Preparing for the climb months in advance is key to success. Maintaining a level head is crucial for survival.

There are times when accidents claim their lives. Most who perished on Everest died with a summit fever. They’d give anything to reach the peak. These climbers paid the price of summiting Everest with their lives.

Like on May 10, 1996, Harbhajan Singh, a member of the ITBP. He returned to camp after suffering from severe frostbite. Harbhajan and two other members survived the disaster by returning to camp.

But three of his teammates who pushed for the summit died. One of whom is now known as Green Boots.

As Ed Viesturs said, "On Everest, reaching the summit is optional, getting back down is not." With that mentality, many climbers survived. The allure of the summit can be strong. It can cost you your life.  

FAQs Section

Q1: How many people have died on Everest?

A: As of 2024, over 330 people have died.

Q2: What is the most dangerous part of the climb?

A: The Khumbu Icefall and the Death Zone above 8000m.

Q3: Why are some bodies still visible?

A: It is logistically and financially difficult to recover them.

Q4: Can inexperienced climbers get permits?

A: Yes, although there's growing pressure for stricter regulations.

Q5: What year saw the most Everest deaths?

A: 2015 and 1996 were among the deadliest, with avalanches and weather playing major roles.