HIGH DEATH TOLL

5 Dead, 2 Missing in Deadly Week on Mount Everest

The trek up Everest normally kills five people every year between March and May, but nine have already died this season.

The last week has been a deadly one on the world’s highest peak. According to The Straits Times, Mt. Everest has claimed the lives of five people in a seven-day span, with two more climbers reported missing. The dead include a high-ranking official in Malaysia’s Civil Defense Force, a Nepalese man helping clear garbage from the trash-strewn slopes and an Indian teacher who wanted to become the first Asian equipped with a pacemaker to reach the peak. Among the missing is a deaf Malaysian man who successfully summited the mountain but disappeared on his descent. The trek up Everest normally kills five people every year between March and May, but nine have already died this season, with more climbers scrambling to reach the summit and descend during a brief window of ideal weather that closes later this month.