Mumbai, May 16: The 2025 Everest spring climbing season has seen its first fatalities, with two climbers, an Indian and a Filipino, losing their lives near the summit of the world’s highest peak. According to the reports, Subrata Ghosh died after suffering symptoms of altitude sickness while descending from the summit.

Indian mountaineer Subrata Ghosh, 45, died on Thursday below the Hillary Step while descending from Mount Everest after reaching the 8,849-metre summit. Ghosh, hailing from West Bengal, was part of the Snowy Everest Expedition 2025, organised by Nepal-based Snowy Horizon Treks in coordination with the Mountaineering Association of Krishnanagar. Elderly French Climber Dies on Mt Kanchenjunga.

“Ghosh summited around 2 p.m. on Saturday but began showing signs of exhaustion and altitude sickness during his descent,” Bodhraj Bhandari, Managing Director at Snowy Horizon Treks, told The Himalayan Times. “He eventually refused to continue descending below the Hillary Step.”

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The Hillary Step, a nearly vertical rock face just below the summit, lies within Everest's "death zone", above 8,000 metres, where oxygen levels are critically low and survival becomes increasingly difficult. Despite efforts by his Sherpa guide, Champal Tamang, to motivate him, Ghosh remained unresponsive. Tamang returned to Camp IV alone on Thursday night and alerted authorities the following morning. Poop Problem: Mount Everest Climbers Asked To Bring Back Poo in Bags.

Efforts are currently underway to retrieve Ghosh’s body. The cause of death will be confirmed after a post-mortem.

Just a day earlier, on Wednesday, 45-year-old Philipp II Santiago from the Philippines also died at the South Col — the final high-altitude camp before the summit. Santiago, part of another international expedition organised by the same company, died in his tent after showing signs of extreme fatigue. According to Nepal’s Department of Tourism, he had reached Camp IV but was too exhausted to continue.

Both climbers were among nearly 100 who have summited Everest so far this May. Nepal has issued 459 permits for the current spring season, which typically runs from March to the end of May.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 16, 2025 04:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).