Video of ‘traffic jam’ on Mount Everest goes viral as two climbers fear death

Many environmentalists have expressed concern about overcrowding on Everest.

A video showing long lines of climbers at the top of Mount Everest has gone viral on social media. According to the New York Post, the climbers were trapped after Tuesday’s incident, in which British climber Daniel Paterson and his Nepalese sherpa Pastenji were hit by falling ice while descending from the summit. The clip was posted on Instagram by Rajan Dwivedi on May 20, showing him waiting in a queue with dozens of climbers behind him trying to reach the summit.

“Mount Everest is no joke and is actually a pretty serious climb,” Dwivedi said in the Instagram post.

He added that for him, “coming down was a nightmare and exhausting, while a huge queue of climbers went up to maximize the weather window!!”

He successfully reached the summit of Everest at 6 am on May 19.

This is just one of many clips from an apparent constant rush hour to reach the top of the world’s highest peak (8,848 meters), which has been dubbed a “traffic jam” by many users on social media.

These videos of the queue on Everest and the consequences of the cornice collapse that killed some people…
There’s something about this that sums up a lot of what’s wrong with the world.
pic.twitter.com/S2qv1oBAOG

– suit (@1goodtern) May 24, 2024

Many environmentalists and climbers have expressed concern about Everest being overcrowded. Its popularity has not diminished despite accidents and deaths on the mountain.

The latest pair feared dead is Mar Paterson, 39, and his guide Pastenji Sherpa, 23. They reached the top of the peak on Tuesday as part of a group but have not been heard from since. according to a BBC report.

The company, which organized the expedition, said the collapse happened on the Hilary Step, a vertical rock near the summit, and that the men “fell toward the Tibet side through a very vertical slope.”

The peak is considered dangerous because oxygen levels and air pressure at that height are not sufficient to sustain human life for long.

Mr Paterson took on the challenge to help raise money for the family of a gym member who recently died from cancer.