Everest season reports deaths, base-camp issues

Alan Arnette’s May 31 season update put the 2026 Everest climbing season in stark terms: multiple deaths, heavy traffic high on the mountain, and renewed complaints about waste left behind at camp. Arnette, a longtime Everest chronicler, said Bijaya Ghimire Bishwakarma died on May 10 while moving from Base Camp to Camp 1, and Phura Gyaljen Sherpa, 20, died on May 11 after slipping at about 7,000 meters on the Lhotse Face below Camp 3. He also flagged two Indian climbers who died after turning back or descending, adding to a season in which retreat remained dangerous as summit windows narrowed. LBC on June 1 added fresh images to the season’s final days, publishing video it said showed queues between Camp III and Camp IV and abandoned tents, oxygen bottles and other rubbish at Everest camps. The outlet described the debris as a “graveyard of climbing equipment” at Camp IV, the highest camp on the mountain. ### Who were the climbers Arnette said died early in the season? (alanarnette.com) Bijaya Ghimire Bishwakarma died on May 10 while ascending from Base Camp to Camp 1, according to Arnette’s May 31 post. Arnette listed the death in his end-of-season accounting of Everest incidents. Phura Gyaljen Sherpa, 20, died on May 11 after slipping and falling at around 7,000 meters on the Lhotse Face, just below Camp 3, Arnette wrote. (lbc.co.uk) The Lhotse Face is a steep blue-ice wall used by climbers heading toward the South Col on Everest’s south side. ### Which Indian climbers were reported dead on the descent? Two Indian climbers died on May 22 while descending from the summit, according to reports cited across late-season coverage. (alanarnette.com) Outside identified them as climbers of Indian origin who had reached the top before perishing on the way down. Telegraph India named them as Arun Kumar Tiwari and Sandeep Are. Arnette said both Indian climbers had reportedly turned around before dying, using the cases to underscore that the descent can be as dangerous as the summit push. That point matched his broader season summary, which said many incidents came late in climbs after fatigue, altitude and weather had compounded. ### What did the new video show near the upper camps? LBC’s June 1 report said footage showed climbers backed up between Camp III and Camp IV, a section leading into the so-called Death Zone near the South Col. (outsideonline.com) The same report showed torn tents, discarded bottles, food tins and other gear left at high camps and base camp. (alanarnette.com) The Telegraph, also reporting on June 1, said a social-media clip from Camp IV showed battered tents and mounds of rubbish after a record season. Neither report established from the video alone which expeditions left specific items behind. ### Why do descent deaths keep appearing in Everest reporting? (lbc.co.uk) May 22 became the clearest example this season of how summit success does not end the danger. Outside reported that both Indian climbers died while descending after reaching the top. Arnette separately wrote that some no-oxygen and speed attempts were abandoned because climbers judged the descent too risky. (telegraph.co.uk) Arnette’s season archive shows repeated references to wind delays, changing conditions and crowded summit periods through May. Those factors can compress movement into short weather windows and leave climbers exposed longer during the return from the summit. That is an inference drawn from the chronology of his updates and not a direct quote from one official investigation. (outsideonline.com) ### Where will the next verified details come from? Arnette’s Everest 2026 coverage archive remains the clearest public log of late-season updates, including summit counts and incident notes posted through May 31. LBC’s June 1 report and follow-on pickup by other outlets are likely to keep attention on Camp IV waste and traffic as operators and Nepal’s climbing authorities move into the post-season cleanup period. (alanarnette.com)