World

Calls for numbers climbing Mount Everest to be restricted following seven deaths this week

A photo has emerged showing a long line of climbers queuing on Mount Everest to ascend the summit
A photo has emerged showing a long line of climbers queuing on Mount Everest to ascend the summit A photo has emerged showing a long line of climbers queuing on Mount Everest to ascend the summit

THERE were calls last night for the number of people climbing Mount Everest to be restricted.

It came as a photo emerged showing a long line of climbers queuing to ascend the summit.

A total of seven climbers died on the world's highest mountain this week, more than the total for the whole of last year.

Three of those to lose their lives are thought to have died from exhaustion.

Nihal Bagwan, a 27-year-old Indian climber who was part of a two-member expedition, died at 'camp four'.

He was said to have reached the summit but lost energy while descending.

Four Sherpa guides brought him to the lower camp where he died.

It was reported that he had been stuck in climber traffic for 12 hours.

Kalpana Das, a 53-year-old woman from India who was part of a three-nation women's expedition team, also died on Thursday.

Anjali Kulkarni, who was also 53 and was returning from the summit of Everest with her husband, died during her descent on Wednesday.

A 65-year-old Austrian climber died on the northern Tibet side of the mountain.

An Indian and an American also lost their lives on the mountain on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, an Irish professor, Séamus Lawless, is presumed dead after falling on May 16.

The Trinity College professor, who was 39, fell during his descent from the mountain.

A new search got under way to locate his remains yesterday.

The rising number of people climbing - and dying - on Everest has led for calls for permits to be limited.