Records & People

The other side of Everest's record season: five deaths and a high-altitude cleanup

Everest's record-breaking spring 2026 — 1,008 summits — came with a sober reckoning: five lives lost and an army-led campaign to clear bodies and…

By Laxman Rawal · Jun 16, 2026

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The headlines from Everest's spring 2026 season were all about records — a staggering 1,008 summits, 274 in a single day. But behind the triumph sits a sober reckoning that deserves its own telling: five people died on the mountain this season, and Nepal has…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

The human cost

Among those lost this season were Lhakpa Dendi Sherpa, who died travelling toward Base Camp; Bijay Ghimire Bishwakarma, a 35-year-old climber and journalist who died during an acclimatisation rotation in the Khumbu Icefall; and Phura Gyaljen Sherpa, a…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

The cleanup

With the crowds comes the waste. The Nepali Army, working with local authorities and expedition operators, prepared a cleanup campaign targeting the retrieval of at least five bodies from Everest and neighbouring Nuptse, along with the grim inventory of…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

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