Two Indian Climbers Die Of Exhaustion During Descent After Summiting Mount Everest

Last Updated:May 22, 2026, 13:55 IST

During the descent, both climbers suffered severe exhaustion. Despite intense efforts by Sherpa guides to bring the climbers down, the duo couldn't be saved

Two Indian mountaineers died while descending from Mount Everest due to severe exhaustion after successfully reaching the summit, said an official in Nepal on Friday.

The deceased were identified as Arun Kumar Tiwari and Sandeep Are. Rishi Bhandari, secretary general of the Expedition Operators Association of Nepal, told news agency PTI that Are had summited the world’s highest peak on Wednesday, while Tiwari made it to the top on Thursday.

During the descent, both climbers suffered severe exhaustion. Despite intense efforts by Sherpa guides to bring the climbers down, the duo couldn’t be saved, added Bhandari, according to PTI. 

Are died on Thursday after becoming exhausted during the return journey, he said, adding he was rescued from the Balcony area to the South Col overnight.

Tiwari, on the other hand, suffered fatigue near the Hillary Step. Despite dedicated efforts by the Sherpa guides, he couldn’t survive.

“There was one Indian climber who summited Everest, and during the descent he became extremely tired. The climbing Sherpa guides worked really hard to save his life and rescued him from the Balcony to South Col overnight. They continued trying to rescue him, but unfortunately, we were not able to save him…", Rishi Bhandari said.

“At the same time yesterday evening, another climber, Arun Tiwari, summited Everest at around 5:30 pm. He had two experienced climbing Sherpa guides and they were trying to descend together, but he became exhausted and extremely tired at the Hillary Step, and unfortunately our guides were not able to bring him back", the official added.

The number of casualties on Mount Everest this climbing season has risen to five. Earlier, three Nepali climbers were killed during the expedition period.

On Wednesday, three Indians, including Sandeep Are, were part of 274 climbers who reached the 8,848.86-metre peak, setting a new record for the highest number of ascents ever recorded in a day.

The other two, who were a part of the group, are Tulasi Reddi Palpunoori and Ajay Pal Singh Dhaliwal.

News world Two Indian Climbers Die Of Exhaustion During Descent After Summiting Mount Everest

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