![[FILE] A mountaineer ires the views during his route to Namche Bazaar base camp, Nepal, April 5, 2017. EFE/FILE/Balazs Mohai](https://i0.wp.com/efe.diariosergipano.net/wp-content/s/2025/05/rss-efed8d075a8bede42adc3c58c16a8b8adec4b533244w.webp?fit=1920%2C1280&ssl=1)
Kathmandu, May 15 (EFE).— The 2025 Everest climbing season recorded its first fatality after a Filipino climber died at Camp IV while preparing for his summit attempt, according to Nepal’s tourism department.
The deceased was identified 45-year-old Philipp II Santiago, who died on Wednesday night.
“He was getting ready to push for the summit from Camp IV at around 7,900 meters (26,000 feet) around 8 p.m.,” said Himal Gautam, the department’s director. “But he turned back due to exhaustion and lay down to rest. He ed away between 8 and 9 p.m. The cause of death remains unclear.”
Efforts are currently underway to retrieve Santiago’s body and transport it to base camp, authorities said.
The death comes as concerns grow over increasingly erratic weather patterns on Everest.
Expedition operators warn that the narrow windows of favourable conditions are compressing summit attempts into dangerously short time-frames, raising the specter of overcrowding in the so-called “death zone” above 8,000 meters — a scenario that has contributed to past tragedies.
“This season doesn’t look promising,” said Pemba Sherpa, executive director of 8K Expeditions, the company responsible for fixing ropes from Camp II to the summit.
“Climbing was suspended for five days after the route opened on May 9. If the weather continues like this, we could face serious congestion once conditions improve.”
The risk of bottlenecks is particularly high this year.
According to the tourism department, nearly 80 climbers had reached the summit on Thursday.
However, with 458 climbing permits issued to foreign climbers, just below last year’s record of 479, the mountain could see more than 1,000 people attempting the ascent, including Nepali guides, who often accompany clients on a one-to-one basis.
The stakes are particularly high above 8,000 meters, where oxygen levels are critically low and waiting in line can prove fatal.
In 2019, similar delays contributed to multiple deaths, sparking global debate over Everest’s commercialisation and the risks posed by overcrowding.
“For now, expedition leaders are watching the skies closely,” said Gautam. EFE
sp-sk
