Mount Everest: 6 Most Emotional Deaths Of Climbers Who Died Trying To Summit Highest Mountain

• Every year, thousands of thrillseekers push themselves to the limit, seeking to conquer the world's highest peak
• It is a treacherous sojourn that has seen many die, their bodies left to mark the trail for the other climbers
• TUKO.co.ke delves into the heartbreaking stories of some of the most memorable deaths on Mount Everest

Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay conquered the peak of Mount Everest over 60 years ago, paving the way for other climbers to brave the terrain.

Hundreds of seasoned and aspiring mountaineers make the attempt every year, with some returning alive while others don't.

Mount Everest has since become a graveyard for over 200 bodies frozen in time, each with a different story.

The bodies, preserved for years by the freezing temperatures, tell stories of people who dared to test their limits.

1. Francys Arsentiev (Sleeping Beauty)

One of them is Francys Arsentiev, who died on her way down from the peak in 1998 on an expedition with her husband.

Tranquil Kilimanjaro reports that she lost track of her husband and became tired, cold, and sick from altitude sickness.

A team of mountaineers tried to carry her down but got tired and abandoned her at 800 feet below the summit.

The following day, two climbers found her alive and in serious condition, but she was beyond help.

Her last words to them were, “Don’t leave me, don't leave me,” but they were rushing against time and could not save her.

For nine years, her body remained a landmark for other mountaineers, who nicknamed her the sleeping beauty because she appeared to be sleeping.

In 2007, Arsentiev's body was moved away from the climbing route and hidden somewhere else on the mountain.

2. Green Boots

Tsewang Paljor, famously known as Green Boots, is said to be Mount Everest's most famous body.

According to the BBC, Paljor, had gone on adventure with climbing partners Tsewang Smanla and Dorje Morup when they died in the 1996 storm.

For nearly 20 years, his body, located not far from the summit, served as a landmark for those seeking to summit the mountain from the north.

The nickname stems from the fact that Paljor was found wearing distinctive green Koflach boots.

His body was finally removed in 2014 by Chinese climbers.

3. Shriya Shah-Klorfine

On May 19, 2012, a young Canadian woman named Shriya Shah-Klorfine reached the summit of Mount Everest.

Shriya had never climbed a mountain before, and despite warnings from her friends, husband, and seasoned Everest sherpas, she remained adamant.

She was proud to finally stand at the highest peak in the world after an agonizingly slow climb that had seen her borrow a spare can of oxygen.

Given that the trip had cost her about $100,000 in airfare and equipment, she was determined to succeed.

However, things went dreadfully wrong in the hours that followed after she died at 820 feet from Camp IV.

CBC records that her last words were 'save me."

Her body was on the mountain for about 10 days before it was retrieved and taken off the mountain by helicopter.

4. Cheruiyot Kirui

For years to come, the body of Kenyan thrill seeker Cheruiyot Kirui will remain at 800 feet just below the summit of the tallest mountain in the world.

Kirui died while attempting to make history as the first African to summit Everest without supplemental oxygen.

He invested time, money, and resources into the painstaking project, seeking to add another feather to his overflowing cap.

However, the mountain had other plans for the Kenyan, who many say was a seasoned mountaineer.

5. David Sharp

David Sharp’s demise remains one of the most controversial chapters in the history of Mount Everest Deaths.

In 2006, the passionate hiker ascended the mountain alone, without supplemental oxygen, only for him to run into trouble.

Exhausted and with a low oxygen supply, he crawled into the Green Boots Cave, hoping for rescue, but over 30 mountaineers walked past him on their way to and from the summit without helping.

A team of Turkish climbers noticed he was alive but suffering from severe frostbite and oxygen depletion but felt unable to help due to his critical state.

According to them, the 34-year-old was “too far gone to really be able to do anything”.

Sharp’s last words were, “My name is David Sharp. I’m with Asian Trekking, and I just want to sleep.”

He is among the bodies that have remained part of Mount Everest, but he was relocated from Green Boots Cave.

After his death, Sherpas took his body to a nearby cliff edge and respectfully pushed it over the side of the North Face.

6. Sergei Arsentiev

Sergei Arsentiev is the husband of Francys, aka Sleeping Beauty, who was mentioned earlier in this story.

The couple decided to scale Everest without bottled oxygen and succeeded but lost the plot during their descent.

Their getaway turned into doom when they lost track of each other while going to Camp IV.

When Sergei discovered his wife was missing, he quickly returned to the top with oxygen and medicine in the hope of rescuing her.

He, however, suffered a fatal fall and died, with his body being discovered a year later.

They left behind a son.

From Sleeping Beauty to Green Boots to Kirui, Mount Everest remains a fatal attraction for many daredevils seeking to leave a legacy.

Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke

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Collage of Francys Arsentiev, Tsewang Paljor, and Cheruiyot Kirui.

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