Climbers die on eve of Everest anniversary

KATHMANDU - Agence France-Presse

This photograph taken from an aircraft on April 3, 2013 shows an aerial view of Mount Everest (C) and The Himalayan mountain range.

Another three climbers have perished during Himalayan expeditions in Nepal, organisers said May 28, casting a shadow over celebrations this week of the first summit of Everest 60 years ago.

A 67-year-old Japanese woman named as Chizuko Kono and 50-year-old Spaniard Juanjo Garra went missing on May 23 on Mount Dhaulagiri along with their Nepalese guide and were confirmed dead May 27.

The death toll from this year’s climbing season, the 60th since Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary reached the summit of Mount Everest for the first time, is now at 16.

Garra was marooned high on the mountain after he slipped and broke his ankle, organisers said, but it was not immediately clear what happened to Kono and her guide high on the avalanche-prone peak. “He couldn’t walk any more, even the next day, but his guide stayed with him to help as much as he could,” Tika Gurung, the expedition organizer told AFP, saying that a helicopter rescue was impossible due to the altitude.