American climber dies on Everest

An American climber died on Monday while descending Mount Everest, bringing this year’s climbing season death toll to 11, the highest death rate on the mountain since 2015. Christopher Kulish, a 62-year-old attorney from Colorado, died at a camp below the summit, his brother confirmed. “He saw his last sunrise from the highest peak on Earth,” Mark Kulish said in a statement. “At that instant, he became a member of the ‘7 Summit Club,’ having scaled the highest peak on each continent.”

About half a dozen climbers, including American Don Cash from Utah, died on Everest last week as hundreds of people crowded the route to the summit. Many of the climbers succumbed to altitude sickness during the trek down. The Nepalese government issued a record 381 climbing permits this season, which ends this month after a short window of conducive weather.

Elia Saikaly, a Canadian adventurer who completed his third climb up the mountain, described in an Instagram post walking over bodies and watching as others were dragged down. “I cannot believe what I saw up there,” he said.