The death toll from Mount Everest climbers has risen to 8

Two Everest climbers died Thursday, bringing the death toll for the current spring season to eight, tourism officials said in Nepal.

A Chinese climber died near South Summit in the afternoon, while an Indian climber died at a hospital in Lukla Thursday morning, said Bijan Koirala, an official with Nepal’s Ministry of Tourism.

The Indian climber was airlifted from the base camp where she was acclimatizing to the conditions there. The exact cause of their death is still unknown.

“The body of the Indian climber has already been transferred to Kathmandu, while we have not yet received any other details about the late Chinese climber,” Koirala told the German News Agency (dpa).

With these two victims, Nepal’s health ministry officials said, the death toll for the season so far has risen to eight.

Yesterday, a climber from Moldova died near the South Col, while a Himalayan person died near Camp III, the day before yesterday, Tuesday. One US climber and three Himalayans died at the start of the season.

Sources in the base camp said that there is an increase in disease cases related to frost and altitude this season.

Nepal has issued permits to 478 climbers this year, excluding local guides.

Nepal has eight of the fourteen highest mountain peaks in the world, all of which exceed 8,000 metres.