Nepali mountaineer, 85, dies trying to summit Mount Qomolangma

CGTN Published: 2017-05-07 13:32:38
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An 85-year-old man from Nepal died as he prepared to climb Mount Qomolangma to become the world's oldest person to reach the peak. Min Bahadur Sherchan passed away from a suspected heart attack at base camp – the second death in a week.

Photo of Min Bahadur Sherchan, a Nepalese climber. [File Photo: CGTN]

Photo of Min Bahadur Sherchan, a Nepalese climber. [File Photo: CGTN]

The body of Swiss climber Ueli Steck was recovered last week from a mountain that shares a ridge with Mount Qomolangma as he tried to acclimatize for his upcoming trek.

Sherchan started climbing in 1960. In 2008, he conquered Mount Qomolangma at 76 years old. This time around, he was attempting to reclaim the record from Japanese climber Yuichiro Miura who snatched the title away in 2013 after making it to the top at age 80.

Mount Qomolangma, also known as Mount Everest, is the highest mountain in the world, peaking at 8,844 meters above sea level. Over 800 people, including climbers and local guides, died mountaineering in Nepal between 1950 and 2009, because of a handful of reasons including avalanches, falls, and crevasses, according to Himalaya Database.

In April 2015, 19 people were killed in a huge avalanche triggered by a major 8.1-magnitude earthquake.

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