Two Indian mountaineers died while descending from Mt Everest after successfully reaching the summit, reports quoting to officials said on Friday.
The climbers, Arun Kumar Tiwari and Sandeep Are, reportedly became exhausted during the descent and could not be rescued despite efforts by their guides, according to Rishi Bhandari, secretary general of the Expedition Operators Association of Nepal.
On Wednesday, Are was among three Indians who were part of a group of 274 climbers to summit the 8,848.86-metre peak, setting a record for the highest number of ascents in a single day. The other two Indian climbers were Tulasi Reddi Palpunoori and Ajay Pal Singh Dhaliwal.
Bhandari said Are reached the summit on Wednesday, while Tiwari summited on Thursday at around 5.30 pm.
According to Nivesh Karki, director at Pioneer Adventures, Tiwari fell ill near the Hillary Step, below the summit, during his descent on Thursday evening while being assisted by four Sherpa climbers.
Are also became unwell while descending after summiting on Wednesday. Sherpa guides rescued him from the South Summit, but he died shortly after reaching Camp II early on Friday, Karki said.
Karki said efforts were being made to transport the bodies of the deceased climbers to Kathmandu.
The latest deaths have taken the toll on Mt Everest to five this climbing season. Earlier, three Nepali climbers had died on the mountain.
