Mount Everest claimed lives

Mount Everest claimed three lives in three days.

 international trekkers pass through a glacier at the Mount Everest base camp, Nepal.

Mount Everest claimed three lives in three days while two other climbers remained missing on the crowded, treacherous mountain Monday.

The tragedies heightened concerns once again about the dangers of climbing the world's tallest mountain.

Indian climber Subhash Paul died Sunday while being helped down the mountain by Sherpa guides one day after reaching the summit. Two other Indian climbers who lost contact with their group and disappeared Saturday on slopes known as the “death zone," and hopes for their survival were fading.

Late Friday, Eric Arnold, 35, a Dutchman from Rotterdam, had reached the summit on his fifth attempt just hours before his death. Early Saturday, Australian climber Maria Strydom, 34, who was trekking with her husband, also died while descending the mountain. All three were victims of altitude sickness.

Scores of climbers have managed to reach the summit in the past few days, among them the first combat amputee to climb the mountain, Marine Corps veteran Thomas Charles "Charlie" Linville, 30, who lost his leg to an IED in Iraq in 2011 and used a prosthesis to reach the top of Everest Thursday. Another combat amputee, former Army reservist Chad Jukes, 32, is attempting to follow Linville to the top in an expedition that includes two Army officers.

When weather permits, Everest draws hundreds of climbers each year seeking its summit. But the climb down can be treacherous as exhausted climbers race the clock and sometimes weather to return to safe altitudes. And good weather draws a rush of climbers, which can clog the icy, treacherous routes.

"Many climbers without any experience crowd Everest every year, and companies often use poor quality equipment... offering cheap packages to clients who are exposed to security risks," Nepal Mountaineering Association Chief Ang Tshering Sherpa told Reuters.

Massive tragedies in recent years have put an economic crunch on the climbing industry. At least 18 people last year when an earthquake sent a massive snow slide roaring through Base Camp, abruptly ending the climbing season. In 2014, an avalanche killed 16 guides, virtually halted climbing on Everest.

Relatively good conditions so far this year have brought large numbers of summit hopefuls to the mountain the Nepalese call Sagarmāthā, which loosely translates to "forehead in the sky."

Belgian climber Jelle Vegt, who reached the peak on May 13, told the Associated Press he reached the peak May 13 without issue. But he said a few days of bad weather then forced others to wait, creating a bottleneck that forced climbers to wait in line high on the mountain.

"The last two disasters on Everest were caused by nature, but not this one," Ang Tshering told AP.

Nepal Mountaineering Department official Gyanendra Shrestha told The Himalayan Times that about 30 climbers have developed frostbite or become sick near the summit in recent days. She said good weather has allowed almost 400 climbers to reach the summit from Nepal since May 11, but added that the altitude, weather and harsh terrain can cause problems at any time.

Mount Everest Map.

source: www.usatoday.com