Update: Thursday, May 23, 8:40am; In a harrowing turn of events, Kenyan mountaineer Cheruiyot Kirui has been found dead, after hours of search and rescue.
Kirui was attempting to become the second Kenyan to climb Mt Everest, and the first to do so without supplemental oxygen.
According to base camp officials, Kirui's lifeless body was a few metres below the summit point of Mt Everest. Rescue efforts for his Sherpa guide, Nawang, are still ongoing. Rescuers from Seven Summit Treks discovered Cheruiyot's body from the base camp officials said.
Kirui who attempted to scale Everest without using supplemental oxygen went out of contact from the Bishop Rock. "Nawang had last communicated with the base camp officials from Bishop Rock that Kirui refused to return and even consume bottled oxygen but showed abnormal behaviour," stated the officials.
The duo, part of an expedition organized by Seven Summit Treks (SST) based in Kathmandu, Nepal, lost contact with their team while attempting to scale the treacherous Bishop Rock, situated at an altitude of 8,000 meters.
Cheruiyot Kirui, a banker, was on a mission to summit the world’s highest mountain to push the boundaries of human endurance. However, his ambitious journey took a dire turn when communication with him and his guide ceased unexpectedly.
Mingma Sherpa, CEO of SST, reported that Kirui and Nawang embarked on their climb without supplemental oxygen, a bold and dangerous endeavour even for experienced mountaineers. “Kirui exhibited abnormal behaviour with his guide before communication ceased,” Mingma Sherpa informed local authorities, underscoring the gravity of the situation.
In response to the disappearance, SST swiftly mobilised a search and rescue operation. Two Sherpa rescuers were dispatched to navigate the perilous terrain above the balcony area, braving extreme altitudes and volatile weather in their efforts to locate Kirui and Nawang. Despite the formidable challenges, the search team remains undeterred, determined to bring the climbers to safety.
The incident has heightened concerns about the safety of climbers on Mt. Everest, particularly in the light of recent tragedies.
Earlier this season, Romanian climber Gabriel Tabara, 48, was found dead in his tent at Camp III. Tabara, like Kirui, was attempting to climb without supplemental oxygen, underscoring the deadly risks associated with such a feat.
Kirui's quest was part of a growing trend among climbers to summit Everest without supplemental oxygen, a testament to human endurance but also a significant risk factor. His disappearance has resonated deeply within the global mountaineering community, which remains anxiously hopeful for a positive outcome.
Kirui's Experience
Kirui is not new to climbing. He has scaled Mt. Manaslu (8,163m) without supplemental oxygen, achieving this feat in September 2023 as the first African to summit a peak above 8,000 metres without supplemental oxygen. His other notable climbs include several speed ascents of Mt. Kilimanjaro (5,895m), where he completed the round trip in just 15 hours. Kirui has also summited Mt. Kenya (5,199m) over 20 times, setting course records on its three main routes.
His record time on the Sirimon route, from Old Moses to the Lenana Summit, is an impressive 2 hours and 56 minutes.
Additionally, he has completed three back-to-back Lenana summits in under 24 hours. Kirui has also tackled the Rwenzori Mountains, summiting Mt. Stanley (5,109m) on an expedition that spanned six days. His achievements extend to the Aberdare Range, where he has traversed several routes, including a self-supported south-north traverse.
Mt. Everest, straddling the border between Nepal and Tibet in the Himalayas, continues to be the ultimate challenge for mountaineers worldwide.
On May 12, 2022, James Kagambi became the first Kenyan to reach Everest's peak at 8,849 meters (29,032 feet), as part of the all-black Full Circle Everest team from the US.
As search and rescue operations intensify, the mountaineering community holds its breath, hoping for Kirui and Nawang's safe return.
Since the early 1920s, more than 330 climbers have died on Mount Everest. 200 bodies remain on the mountain.
