Nepal: Everest Season One of Deadliest Recorded

Facts

• Mount Everest's 2023 spring climbing season has reportedly been one of the deadliest since an earthquake triggered an avalanche that killed 18 people in 2015.¹
• According to Nepal's Tourism Department, at least 12 people have died, and five more are still missing as the record Everest season comes to an unofficial end.²
• Nepal issued a record 478 permits to foreign Everest climbers in 2023, with about 600 climbers and guides making it to the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) summit.³
• Altitude sickness, colder-than-normal conditions, and inexperienced mountaineers are reasons expedition organizers claim turned this year's record Mount Everest climbing season into one of the peak's deadliest.⁴
• Meanwhile, oxygen logistics and safety standards allegedly forced several climbers to drop out even after they paid a non-refundable $11K for a permit and at least $30K more for the expedition.³
• Around five climbers die every year trying to reach the world's highest mountain, and while higher death numbers have been previously recorded, they included seasons during which large-scale disasters were culpable.⁵

Sources: ¹TVP World, ²CNN, ³Al Jazeera, ⁴Taipei Times, and ⁵The Himalayan Times.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Euro Weekly News. Overcrowding is the biggest reason for the disastrous, dangerous, and deadliest Mount Everest climbing season in 2023. Weak, novice, and impatient climbers especially put pressure on the climbing route, as high altitudes can cause swelling in the lungs and brain, leading to fatigue, breathlessness, and loss of coordination.
• Narrative B, as provided by The Economic Times. Climate change, which is dramatically altering weather patterns and causing extreme fluctuations in global temperature, is the real culprit behind the unfortunate deaths of climbers on Mount Everest. A warming climate creates icefalls and avalanches and impairs the essential base camp, posing new dangers for climbers.
• Narrative C, as provided by BBC News. Linking individual events directly to global warming without evidence is far-fetched. Everest expeditions constitute a significant source of income for Nepal, which is why the country's government must be held accountable for allowing anyone who can pay the exorbitant fee for a permit to climb the summit instead of appropriately handling economic crisis, unemployment and poverty.

Predictions