He died at the place where he was resting.
A Filipino climber has died on Mount Everest, becoming the first fatality of this year’s climbing season, officials confirmed Thursday.
Philipp Santiago, 45, was preparing to summit the 8,849-metre (29,032-foot) peak when he became exhausted upon reaching Camp 4 on Wednesday night.
“He died at the place where he was resting,” said Bodha Raj Bhandari of Snowy Horizon Treks and Expedition, which organized Santiago’s climb. Efforts are underway to retrieve his body back to base camp, officials added.
The climbing season, which runs from April to early June, began May 9 when eight Nepali climbers reached the summit. Over 50 climbers have since made it to the top during a window of favorable weather.
Nepal issued 458 climbing permits this season, each climber typically accompanied by at least one Nepali guide.
Overcrowding remains a concern, with over a thousand climbers and staff at base camp. In 2019, four of 11 deaths on Everest were linked to summit congestion.