Refused to descend: Indian mountaineer dies at Mt Everest near 'death zone'

Subrata Ghosh, 45, dies descending Mount Everest near the Hillary Step in the death zone marking the first Indian fatality of the 2025 spring climbing season

The 2025 spring climbing season on Mount Everest has claimed its first casualties — one mountaineer from India and another from the Philippines. Nepalese officials confirmed the deaths on Friday, as climbers continue their summit attempts during the narrow seasonal window.

 

Subrata Ghosh, a 45-year-old Indian climber, died on Thursday while descending from the 8,849-metre (29,032-foot) summit. He collapsed just below the Hillary Step, a treacherous section close to the peak.

 

“He refused to descend from below the Hillary Step,” said Bodhraj Bhandari of Snowy Horizon Treks and Expedition, the company managing Ghosh’s climb.

 

The Hillary Step is located within the so-called “death zone” — the perilous stretch between the South Col and the summit where oxygen levels are too low to sustain human life for extended periods.

 

 

“Efforts are underway to bring his body down to base camp. The cause of death will be confirmed after the post-mortem,” Bhandari added.

 

The second victim, 45-year-old Philipp II Santiago from the Philippines, died late Wednesday at the South Col while ascending the mountain.

 

“Santiago was tired when he reached the fourth high camp and died while resting in his tent,” said Himal Gautam, a Nepal tourism official.

 

Both Ghosh and Santiago were part of an international expedition coordinated by Bhandari.

 

Nepal has issued 459 permits to climbers attempting Everest this spring season, which spans March to May. Nearly 100 climbers and their Sherpa guides have already reached the summit this week.

 

Mountaineering, trekking, and tourism are vital to Nepal’s economy, providing significant revenue to one of the world’s poorest nations.

 

According to the Himalayan Database, more than 345 climbers have died on Everest since expeditions began over a century ago.

 

Mount Everest: A brief history

 

Mount Everest, straddling the border between Nepal and Tibet (China), stands at 8,849 metres (29,032 feet) and is the highest mountain on Earth. Named after British surveyor Sir George Everest, the peak was first successfully summited on 29 May 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay.

 

Understanding the 'death zone'

 

The ‘death zone’ refers to altitudes above 8,000 metres (approximately 26,250 feet), where oxygen levels are insufficient to support human life for long durations. Most fatalities on Everest occur in this hazardous region, particularly around landmarks such as the Hillary Step — a steep rock face that poses one of the final technical challenges before the summit.

 

(With agency inputs)