The world’s highest mountain has already had one of its deadliest weeks.
A fourth body has been discovered on Mt. Everest, and one climber remains missing after a good spot in a run of bad spring weather led to climbers rushing the peak. After clear skies Friday and Saturday, a “traffic jam” of 150 climbers ascended the mountain, but four perished on the way back down, most likely suffering from exhaustion and altitude sickness. A Sherpa guide was also reported missing, but eventually reached the base camp. Another climber—a Chinese national—remains missing.
Because of the glut of climbers, many reportedly waited too long to go up the trail and spent too much time at higher altitude. The Nepal Mountaineering Association has called on the government to impose schedules for climbers to avoid similar situations in the future.
