Indian, Filipino Climbers Confirmed Dead in 2025 Everest Season

An Indian and a Filipino mountaineer have been confirmed as the first fatalities of the 2025 Everest spring climbing season, according to Nepalese officials on Friday.

Mr Subrata Ghosh, 45, from India, died on May 15 while descending after successfully reaching the summit of Mount Everest. He reportedly refused to continue his descent below the Hillary Step, a dangerous section near the summit located in the high-risk “death zone”, where oxygen levels are critically low.

“Efforts are ongoing to retrieve his body. The cause of death will be confirmed following a post-mortem,” said Mr Bodhraj Bhandari, from Snowy Horizon Treks and Expedition, the company managing the expedition.

Meanwhile, Mr Philipp Santiago II, also 45, from the Philippines, died late on May 14 at the South Col, the final camp before the summit. According to Mr Himal Gautam from Nepal’s tourism department, Santiago appeared exhausted upon arrival at the camp and passed away while resting in his tent.

Both climbers were part of an international expedition organised by Snowy Horizon.

Nepal has issued 459 climbing permits for Everest this season, which runs from March to May. Nearly 100 climbers have successfully reached the 8,849-metre summit so far this week.

Everest climbing remains a major source of revenue for Nepal, one of Asia’s least developed nations. Over the past century, more than 345 people have lost their lives attempting to conquer the world’s highest peak, according to the Himalayan Database and trekking authorities.