45-year-old man from West Bengal dies on Mount Everest while descending

KOLKATA: An mountaineer from West Bengal died while descending Mount Everest shortly after reaching the summit, officials in Nepal have confirmed. Subrata Ghosh, 45, from Ranaghat, died on Thursday below the Hillary Step — a near-vertical rock face just before the summit — as he descended from the 8,849m (29,032ft) peak. According to expedition organisers, Ghosh had reached the summit with his guide at around 2.00pm local time but showed signs of exhaustion and altitude sickness on the way down. He later refused to move further, his guide Champal Tamang was quoted as saying.Tamang returned to Camp IV late on Thursday and informed authorities of the incident on Friday morning. Ghosh was part of the Mountaineering Association of Krishnanagar’s Snowy Everest Expedition 2025. Efforts are currently under way to retrieve his body and bring it down to base camp.Ghosh, an English teacher at a school in Krishnanagar, went on the expedition with his sister, Sumitra Debnath. However, she stayed back at the base camp. Ghosh is one of three climbers from West Bengal to have reached the summit in the past week. His death follows that of 45-year-old Philipp II Santiago from the Philippines, who died on 14 May while preparing for his summit attempt.