Congestion alone did not kill climbers on Mt Everest: Nepal govt

The large number of deaths of climbers on the Mount Everest this season is not solely due to the "traffic jam" on the world's highest peak, the Nepal government claimed Thursday, citing factors like high altitude sickness, other health reasons and adverse weather.

The number of deaths on Mt Everest was put at 11 by the international media, making it the deadliest season since 2015. However, the Nepal tourism ministry maintained the death toll at 9.

Four Indians died on the 8,848-metres high Mt Everest and two each died on Mt. Kangchenjunga and Mt. Makalu, bringing the total death toll of Indian climbers in the Himalayas to 8.

"Our attention has been drawn to the wrong information about deaths on Mt Everest conveyed by national and international media," said Dandu Raj Ghimire, Director General of the Department of Tourism (DoT), adding that "traffic jam" did not cause the deaths.

A 'Traffic jam' occurs when many climbers vie for the summit at the same time, and can be especially dangerous above 8,000 metres known as the 'death zone'