Hardly any oxygen

Mount Everest: A traffic jam in the death zone

There has been another major traffic jam on Mount Everest - in the so-called death zone at over 8000 meters. As the oxygen content is very low, you should only stay there for as short a time as possible.

The dense concentration of mountaineers and mountain guides has led to a dangerous situation, according to several Sherpas who were present.

During the traffic jam on 21 May, a snow ledge near the 8849-metre-high summit collapsed and took several people with it, reports mountain guide and eyewitness Narendra Shahi Thakuri, who also took photos of the gathering of people. "Four people were pulled back up, two disappeared. It was frightening."

Climbers on the Khumbu Glacier - on their way to the summit of Mount Everest in Nepal(Bild: APA/AFP/TSERING PEMBA SHERPA)

The two missing people are a British mountaineer (40) and his Nepalese mountain guide (23). Despite several days of searching, their bodies have not yet been found, according to a Nepalese official at the base camp of the world's highest mountain. The search operation has now been called off, according to their expedition company.

The snow edge collapse also temporarily damaged the route to the summit, which had been fixed with ropes by Sherpas, and exacerbated the existing traffic jam, noted Narendra Shahi Thakuri. Around 60 people had to interrupt their ascent or descent for a good half hour as a result.

Five deaths already this season
A total of five people have died during the current peak season on Mount Everest and their bodies have been found, according to the Nepalese tourism authorities. Three more are missing - including the Briton and his Nepalese mountain guide. There are always traffic jams on the mountain. One reason for this is the high number of mountaineers, many of whom are not sufficiently experienced.