The First Deaths on Everest in 2026: Tragedies That Seem Almost Unbelievable
The 2026 spring climbing season on Mount Everest has delivered both triumph and tragedy. On May 20, a staggering 274 climbers reached the summit from the Nepali side in a single day—shattering the previous record of 223 set in 2019 . Yet behind these numbers lies a season marked by preventable deaths, extreme overcrowding, and stories of survival that test the limits of human endurance.
From a veteran Sherpa who died before his boots touched the ice, to a man who survived the Death Zone only to be killed by his own sunglasses—the first fatalities of 2026 are almost impossible to believe.
1. The First Fatality: A Veteran Sherpa’s Sudden Death
The first death of the 2026 season occurred even before the climbing season truly began. On May 3, Lakpa Dende Sherpa, a 52-year-old veteran mountain guide, died while trekking from the village of Gorak Shep to Everest Base Camp . He was returning to work for the season as a high-altitude guide when he lost consciousness and died along the two-mile route between Gorak Shep and Base Camp .
Lakpa Dende had worked with Seven Summits Treks for well over a decade and had an impressive climbing resume: he had summited Everest in 2017, Manaslu in 2016, and Makalu on seven separate occasions . His death was reportedly from natural causes, though police investigations were launched .
2. Two High-Altitude Workers Lost in the Icefall
Within days of the first fatality, two more Sherpas lost their lives. On May 10, Bijaya Ghimire Bishwakarma, a 35-year-old high-altitude worker from Nepal’s Dalit ethnic group, died while climbing through the Khumbu Icefall . The following day, May 11, Phura Gyaljen Sherpa, just 20 years old, slipped and fell on the Lhotse Face .
These three deaths marked a devastating start to the season for Nepal’s guiding community. “Every year, experts argue about how to tally the number of fatalities on Mount Everest—whether to only include those who died above Base Camp while ascending the mountain,” noted one report . In previous years, mountain workers have died from a variety of causes in Base Camp or along the trek to the mountain’s base .
3. The Client Deaths: The Descent That Became a Killer
The first client deaths of the 2026 season came on May 21-22, when two Indian climbers—Arun Kumar Tiwari and Sandeep Are—died during their descent after successfully summiting . Both men had reached the top, but the mountain extracted its highest price on the way down.
Sandeep Are: The Sunglasses That Became a Death Sentence
Sandeep Are, a 46-year-old Indian-American climber residing in Arizona, summited on May 20 . On his descent, he reportedly suffered snow blindness after removing his goggles for photographs, leading to exhaustion and cerebral edema . He died on May 22 despite rescue efforts .
Are had taken his preparation seriously. According to a climbing guide who knew him, Are “would visit Colorado biannually for the past few years in his preparation to climb Everest. He wanted to be a more well-rounded mountaineer so he continued to develop in rock climbing, ice climbing, and fixed line climbing. He took health and wellness very seriously going into Mount Everest” . He had previously climbed Aconcagua and Lobuche Peak in preparation for Everest .
Yet a moment of carelessness—removing his goggles for photos—led to snow blindness that left him disoriented and unable to descend safely. He was being assisted by mountain workers when he died just above Camp II .
Arun Kumar Tiwari: Collapse at the Hillary Step
Arun Kumar Tiwari, 53, from Hyderabad, summited on May 21 . He was pursuing the Seven Summits, a challenge to climb the highest peak on each continent . During his descent, he fell ill near the Hillary Step—one of Everest’s most dangerous bottlenecks inside the Death Zone . Despite four Sherpa guides attempting to rescue him and bring him down to lower elevations, he died late at night on May 21 .
4. The Death Zone: Why the Descent Is Deadlier Than the Ascent
Mount Everest’s “Death Zone”—the region above 8,000 meters where the human body literally begins to shut down—is where most fatalities occur . At this altitude, the air contains only about one-third of the oxygen available at sea level. The body cannot properly acclimatize, and even experienced climbers begin deteriorating physically and mentally .
“Every breath delivers drastically reduced oxygen into the bloodstream,” explained scientists studying the zone . The biggest killer is hypoxia, when oxygen levels become critically low and fail to reach the body’s tissues and organs .
The 2026 season saw record overcrowding, with Nepal issuing a record 493 climbing permits . On May 20 alone, 274 climbers reached the summit from the Nepal side . Long queues forced climbers to spend extended hours in the Death Zone, burning precious oxygen while standing still in freezing temperatures .
Ang Tsering Sherpa, former president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, warned: “Spending a long time above the death zone increases the risk of frostbite, altitude sickness and even death” .
5. A Season of Lessons
The 2026 Everest season has now recorded at least five fatalities, including the three Sherpas and two Indian climbers . Many of these deaths were preventable. Overcrowding, exhaustion, poor decision-making, and severe oxygen deprivation continue to turn Everest into one of the deadliest places on Earth .
Kami Rita Sherpa, who scaled Everest for a record 32nd time in 2026, expressed concern: “The expedition this time felt a bit crowded. The government should regulate this a bit… They should let in only climbers of quality—there should be a limit” .
The descent remains the mountain’s deadliest chapter. Climbers reach the top physically drained, oxygen supplies running low, and weather conditions can shift rapidly. Decision-making becomes increasingly difficult. As one report noted: “Most fatalities on Everest occur not during the ascent, but on the way down” .
Primary Sources:
Outside Magazine — First death of the 2026 Everest season (May 3, 2026)
Outside Magazine — Two climbers died while descending (May 22, 2026)
NDTV — What happens at the Death Zone (2026)
New Age BD — Four more deaths on Everest (2026)
Al Jazeera — Everest record holder warns of Nepal danger (2026)
JFeed — Everest 2026 Season: Record Summits and Fatal Descents (2026)
Outlook Traveller — Two Indian Mountaineers Die on Everest (2026)