Costlier Than Climbing Everest: Why Recovering A Body From The Death Zone Is So Difficult

New Delhi: Conquering Everest is expensive, but bringing back a dead body after someone's death is even more expensive and deadly. Every season 5 to 10 climbers die on Everest. Most of these dead bodies remain there, in the death zone. Arun Kumar Tiwari of Assam touched the peak this May. While descending, he stopped breathing at the 8790 meter high Hillary Step. The family decided to leave the body there. The reason was clear, reverence for the Himalayas and the immense difficulties in bringing back the dead body.

How much does it cost to bring a dead body?

Bringing down a dead body from Everest is a separate operation in itself. A special team of Sherpas goes. In Arun's case, his company Pioneer Adventure said that the cost would be around $1.14 lakh. That means Rs 1.1 crore. This is double the cost of climbing Everest. However, the cost of bringing the dead body ranges from 40 thousand to 2 lakh dollars. That means Rs 33 lakh to Rs 1.65 crore. In 2017, the Bengal government had spent Rs 77 lakh to remove a dead body.

What is the death zone?

The area above 8000 meters is called death zone. Here the amount of oxygen in the air is one third less than at sea level. Oxygen in the blood drops by 50%. Meanwhile, an emergency occurs in the hospital.

Know two things here:  

• HAPE: The lungs fill with water. One has to struggle for every breath.  
• HACE: Swelling in the brain. The power to think and understand is gone.

The heart beats at a speed of 160. Food is not digested. Cannot sleep. The muscles respond to every step. A common climber cannot stay here for more than 16 to 20 hours.

Why are bodies left on Everest? 

• The weight doubles/triples: Sherpa Shiring Jangu says lifting an 8 kg oxygen cylinder at 8000 meters seems like a mountain. It is impossible to lift a person weighing 80 kg. After freezing the same carcass weighs more than 100 kg.
• Helicopter helpless: The air in the death zone is so thin that the helicopter cannot fly. The rotor doesn't get any grip. More and more people reach Base Camp 2. Everyone ahead of him was on foot.
• Sherpas' lives are at risk: In 1984, two rescue members who went to bring the body of German mountaineer Hannelore did not return. In 2019, a Nepalese soldier caught altitude sickness during a body mission on Makalu. Had to abandon the mission.
• Heavy on the pocket: Expenses from Rs 33 lakh to Rs 1.65 crore. That too when success is not guaranteed.
• Weather is the enemy: Only for 2-3 weeks in a year, that too in May, the weather cooperates. After that, 160 km per hour wind and -40 degree temperature. The situation worsens within minutes.

How many deaths on Everest in 2026? 

So far 5 people have died on the 8849 meter high Everest in 2026. These include two Indians. 53-year-old Arun Kumar Tiwari and 47-year-old Sandeep Arey had conquered the peak on May 20-21. While returning, Arun fell ill on the 8790 meter high Hillary Step. He had high altitude pulmonary edema. Despite Sherpa's efforts he could not escape. Sandeep Hey got snow blindness as soon as he reached the peak. Five Sherpas brought him to Camp-2, where he died. 

Earlier, on May 11, 20-year-old Phura Gyaljen Sherpa died due to slipping, on May 10, Bijaya Ghimire died after falling in the Khumbu Icefall and on May 3, Lakpa Dende Sherpa died while returning to the base camp.

Is there danger due to increasing crowd on Everest?

Nepal distributed 494 permits in 2026. A permit costs $15,000. The government earned $7.19 million. On May 20, 274 people reached the summit in one day. New record. The record of 223 was broken in 2019. outcome? Traffic jam in the death zone. Climbers standing in line for hours. Fear of running out of oxygen. Kami Rita Sherpa, who has climbed Everest 32 times, says, "Stop distributing permits. Look at the quality. If you send everyone to the top, there will be dead bodies."

What happens to the dead bodies lying on Everest?

The temperature in the death zone is always below zero, so bodies do not decompose. Even today, more than 200 dead bodies are lying on Everest. These include famous bodies like 'Green Boots' and 'Sleeping Beauty'. A record of every death is kept at the base camp.