Two Mumbai mountaineers die trying to scale peaks in Nepal

The death is the third to be reported on Nepal Himalayas during the current climbing season which started in March

Two Mumbai-based mountaineers and adventurers died in separate incidents in the Himalayan ranges in Nepal, last week.

The Akhil Maharashtra Giryarohan Mahasangh (AMGM), the apex mountaineering body of Maharashtra, has confirmed the tragic deaths.

“The deaths of Narayanan and Dr Samant is very sad and shocking news,” AMGM President Umesh Zirpe, told DH on Sunday while confirming the two incidents.

The deceased were identified as Narayanan Iyer (52), a resident of Ghatkopar and Dr Pradnya Samant (55), a resident of Goregaon, according to reports from Kathmandu.

Dr Sawant was at the Everest Base Camp trek when she developed high-altitude sickness in Khumbu region of Nepal. She was rushed to the Gokyo International Clinic located in the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, where she was declared dead.

According to reports, locals refer to the Gokyo region, dotted with turquoise lakes and stunning views of Mount Everest, as “Death Valley” since the relatively easy terrain prompts hikers to ascend too quickly, creating conditions ripe for altitude sickness as atmospheric pressure drops fast.

A seasoned trekker and mountaineer, Iyer died while attempting to summit Mount Kanchenjunga, the world's third-highest mountain peak. Iyer reportedly fell ill during the final push to the summit.

Pasang Sherpa, Chairman at Pioneer Adventure, was quoted as saying that Iyer died at a height of 8,200 metres. He was exhausted and when asked to return, did not. Iyer’s body is yet to be retrieved and his family members are reaching Nepal.

The Kanchenjunga summit lies at 8,586 m (28,169 ft).