Two Indian mountaineers have tragically lost their lives while descending from the summit of Mount Everest (8,848.86 m), Nepalese mountaineering officials confirmed, as per the reports.
The deceased have been identified as Arun Kumar Tiwari and Sandeep Are. According to expedition reports, both climbers successfully reached the highest point on Earth on May 21, 2026, but fell severely ill shortly after beginning their descent.
Tiwari passed away near the historic Hillary Step, a notoriously difficult rock face just below the summit, despite receiving emergency assistance from a team of four Sherpa climbers who were attempting to guide him down safely.
In a separate incident, Are was successfully evacuated from the upper reaches of the mountain by a team of Sherpa rescuers. However, he breathed his last after reaching the lower altitude of Camp II.
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According to Rishi Bhandari, Secretary General of the Expedition Operators Association of Nepal, both climbers became completely exhausted during their descent and could not be saved despite the best efforts of their guiding teams.
Bhandari told PTI that the two men summited on different days, are successfully reached the peak on Wednesday, while Tiwari made his summit on Thursday, at approximately 5:30 pm. Both fell severely ill shortly after starting their return journeys down the mountain.
Sandeep Are reached the summit of Mount Everest on Wednesday during a record-breaking day on the mountain. A total of 274 climbers reached the world's highest peak in just 24 hours — the highest number ever recorded in a single day.
Three Indians were among the climbers who summited that day. While Are died during the descent, the other two Indian climbers, Tulasi Reddi Palpunoori and Ajay Pal Singh Dhaliwal, safely completed their expeditions, reported Economic Times.
The momentum continued into the following day. On Thursday, 21 May, another Indian mountaineer, Lakshmikanta Mandal, also successfully reached the world's highest peak amid the high-volume climbing window.
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