Sugam Pokharel

THE HIMALAYAS — (CNN) Six people died during this year’s climbing season on Mount Everest, officials said Friday.

The body of Goutam Ghosh, an Indian mountain climber who went missing on Mount Everest on May 21, was found Sunday, said Wangchu Sherpa, managing director of Trekking Camp Nepal.

Sherpas discovered the body at the so-called “death zone,” Wangchu Sherpa said.

The death zone refers to altitudes higher than 8,000 meters (about 26,200 feet), where the risk of dying significantly climbs. There is little oxygen here, so altitude sickness is common and can be deadly. Temperatures tumble, winds intensify and frostbite can hit any exposed part of the body. The ground is icy, so falls are not uncommon.
Ghosh’s body could not be brought down from the mountain because the Sherpas were concerned for their own safety. It will be collected during next year’s climbing season.

The body of Paresh Chandra Nath, who was Ghosh’s climbing companion, was found on May 27. It has also been left on the mountain due to inclement weather and will be collected next year.

Three Indian citizens, who all belonged to the same climbing group, one Australian, one Dutch citizen and one Sherpa died in the 2016 climbing season, said Gyanendra Shrestha of the Nepal Tourism Department’s Mountaineering section.

Lakhpa Tharke Sherpa, who accompanied the Indian climbers, said they did not listen to the Sherpas.

The Sherpa people are an ethnic group from Nepal who have lived in the high altitudes of the Himalayas for generations. They have long served as guides whose local expertise has been invaluable for foreigners attempting Everest climbs.

“We are the people from the mountains. We know Everest. They just would not listen to us. We know when to move forward and when to stay put,” he said. He added the three men also suffered from energy loss and altitude sickness.

This year’s Everest climbing season has officially ended. More than 160 climbers and 240 Sherpas reached the summit, Shrestha said.

The next season starts in 2017, although some people may attempt to climb without government authorization this year.

The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved. (Photo: CNN)