Two Indians die while descending Mount Everest, official says

View of Mount Everest. | Photo credit: AP

Two Indian climbers who scaled Everest died on the descent, an official said on Friday (May 22, 2026).

The climbers, identified as Arun Kumar Tiwari and Sandeep Are, were exhausted while descending from the peak and could not be rescued despite the best efforts of their guides, said Rishi Bhandari, general secretary of the Nepal Expedition Operators Association.

They appear to be at the summit on Wednesday (May 20, 2026) and Tiwari on Thursday (May 21, 2026) around 5:30 pm, Bhandari told PTI.

The guides “worked really hard” but were unable to save them, he said.

Are died on Thursday (May 21, 2026) and it is not clear when Tiwari died. Further details are awaited.

On Wednesday (May 20, 2026), three Indians, including Are, were part of the 274 climbers who scaled the 8848.86-metre peak. It was a new record for the highest number of ascents ever recorded in a day. The other two were Tulasi Reddi Palpunoori and Ajay Pal Singh Dhaliwal.

The following day, Thursday (May 21, 2026), India’s Lakshmikanta Mandal also reached the world’s highest peak.

Published – 22 May 2026 12:39 PM IST