Kathmandu, April 27

With spring climbing activities gaining momentum on different mountains, four foreign climbers lost their lives in the last five days, according to police and expedition organisers.

Two mountaineers  Patrik Mattioli (Switzerland) and Jon David Johnson (Austria) died after falling into an icy crevasse from a fixed rope on Mt Shisha Pangma (8,027 m).

“The incident occurred at an altitude of 6,200 metres on April 24. The duo fell into the crevasse while they were moving up from advanced base camp on Mt Shisha Pangma,” an official at Active Holiday Treks, which is handling their expedition from Kathmandu, said.

According to him, team leader Julian Benedikt Beermann from Switzerland was rescued by support staff. “Bodies of the deceased have not been recovered yet,” he added.

Similarly, two trekkers from Japan and Korea died in the Mt Everest region.

According to Cosmo Trek Pvt Ltd, Lazimpat, Japanese climber Hidenori Hagi died on Friday night at Mt Everest base camp. “Hagi, 67, died while undergoing treatment at a base camp clinic.”

His body was airlifted to Kathmandu for post-mortem. His family members have arrived here to receive his body, an official said.

A Korean climber also died after suffering from altitude sickness today while he was returning from Lobuche peak in Khumbu region. “Police are trying to assert details of the deceased,” District Police Office, Solukhunmbu, said.

According to Lakpa Sherpa, a member of the medical team assigned by the Himalayan Rescue Association, at least seven persons were evacuated and more than 110 patients received treatment at the base camp clinic in the last three weeks.

“Most of the evacuated patients were suffering from high altitude pulmonary edema and high altitude cerebral edema,” he said.

Thaneshwor Bhandari, an official at Feriche-based Aid-post told this daily over phone that nine patients were also evacuated to Kathmandu from Feriche. The clinic has treated more than 250 patients till date.

As of today, 708 climbers from 92 teams have obtained climbing permits to attempt different mountains in the spring season, Gyanendra Shrestha, an official at the Department of Tourism said.

More than 800 climbers had abandoned their climbing missions after last year’s April 25 quake.