AN IRISH mountain guide who has ascended Mount Everest five times has said several Sherpa deaths have pushed the fatality rate higher than reported.
Noel Hanna (45), of Dromara, Co Down, told The Irish Times yesterday there may have been up to eight deaths on the southern/Nepalese side of the mountain this month. Apart from the four expedition members who died on a “summit push” last Saturday, there had been a number of Sherpa fatalities which had not received the same publicity in the western press, he said.
A climber believed to be European had also died recently on the northern/Tibetan side, he said. Mr Hanna’s fifth ascent was from Tibet, on the North ridge route, with the 7 Summits Club.
“The North ridge route is technically harder and you are longer at altitude, which is why you get a lot of rich people opting for the southern route,” he explained.
There are between 80 to 100 climbers on the northern side and 350 on the southern side, he said – with some expeditions still waiting for a weather window this weekend.
The four who died last weekend were from Germany, South Korea, China and Canada, while a Nepalese Sherpa guide reported missing was said to have returned safely to base camp. The toll is said to be the worst in one 48-hour period on Everest since 1996, when eight people died.
Dublin professional tennis coach Cian O’Brolchain (32) is a member of a commercial expedition on the south side which has opted to wait for a weather window forecast for later this week. Mr O’Brolchain is raising funds for cystic fibrosis research and treatment.
