May 16, 2023: A climber from the Sherpa community tragically passed away during his descent from the peak of Mount Everest, according to sources. The Nepal Army confirmed that Phurba Sherpa, hailing from Sankhuwasabha, met his unfortunate demise near the Yellow Band, located above Camp III. Phurba Sherpa was actively involved in the Nepal Army Mountain Clean-up campaign.
Reports from the base camp indicate that a military officer, Captain Dipendra Singh Khatri, fell ill above 8,000 meters while descending from the summit. A team of Sherpa climbers is currently engaged in a rescue operation to aid Captain Khatri. Upon his return from the summit, Captain Khatri found himself unable to proceed below the south summit. Both Sherpa and Khatri were part of the Mountain Clean-up Campaign expedition, led by Lieutenant Colonel Kishor Adhikari. They successfully scaled Mount Everest on Monday at 10:05 am. The exact cause of Phurba Sherpa’s passing remains unknown.
Rescuers are currently escorting Captain Khatri to Camp III, where his condition is reported to be stable, according to sources. It has been determined that he will be airlifted from the high camp tomorrow. Meanwhile, the other members of the team have already descended to the lower camps.
Earlier this season, tragedy struck as an American doctor and three Sherpa climbers lost their lives during separate attempts to conquer Mount Everest.
