KATHMANDU, MAY 12 The death toll across Nepal's spring climbing season has reached five, with three fatalities recorded on Mt. Everest and one each on Mt. Makalu and Makalu II, as a record number of climbers press toward summit bids on the world's highest peaks. The latest death on Everest came on Monday night when Phura Gyaljen Sherpa, 21, of Thame, Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality-5, Solukhumbu, fell into a crevasse near Camp III and died on the spot. The climber, part of Kaitu Expeditions, fell while a large team was moving toward the South Col in preparation for summit pushes. According to Nima Namgyal Sherpa, owner of Kaitu Expeditions, plans were being made to airlift the body from the high camp. His death takes Everest's seasonal toll to three. The two earlier Everest deaths were Bijay Ghimire Bishwakarma, a veteran climber and YouTuber from Solu Dudhkunda Municipality, Solukhumbu, notable as the first person from the Dalit community to summit Everest, who died of suspected cardiac arrest in the Khumbu Icefall on May 10 while ascending from Base Camp; and Lakpa Dendi Sherpa, 52, of Gudel, Solukhumbu, who died on May 4 after falling while hiking from Gorakshep to Everest Base Camp as part of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Everest Expedition 2026. On Makalu (8,485m), American climber Shelley Johannesen, 53, of Oregon, was killed in a small avalanche at around 7,200 metres on Sunday while descending from the summit of Makalu (8,485m), which she had reached at 10:30 am on May 9 alongside fellow American David Ashley and Sherpas Tawa Sherpa and Phurba Sonam Sherpa in an expedition organised by ExpeditionHimalaya.com. Six Sherpa climbers recovered her body and brought it to Camp II, from where an Altitude Air helicopter airlifted it to Kathmandu for post-mortem on Monday. Her climbing guide Tawa Sherpa, injured in the same avalanche, was rescued by other climbers. Ashley, who also felt unwell during descent, and Tawa Sherpa have both been airlifted to Kathmandu and are undergoing treatment; their condition is stable. Ashley and Johannesen co-run Dash Adventures in the United States. The earlier death on the massif occurred on Makalu II (7,678m), also known as Kangchung Tse, a subsidiary summit that sees far rarer traffic. Czech alpinist David Roubinek, 38, died on May 4 at around 7,300 metres while attempting an alpine-style ascent without guide support, after developing high altitude pulmonary edema at Camp III. His body was recovered and brought to high camp (6,100m) by a five-member team, Lakpa Temba Sherpa, Lok Bahadur Chamlagain, Nawang Thindu Sherpa, Dawa Sange Tamang, and Ridar Lama Bhote, coordinated by Seven Summit Treks chairman Mingma Sherpa, and is awaiting airlift pending fair weather. The five deaths come against the backdrop of a record-breaking season. The Department of Tourism has issued 492 climbing permits for Everest this spring, the highest ever recorded for the world's tallest peak, surpassing the previous record of 479 set in 2023. On Makalu, 72 permits were issued to climbers from 11 teams, collecting royalties of USD 213,330, while seven climbers obtained permits for Makalu II, according to data released on May 8.