Deaths could have been avoided

First I thank Dream Wanderlust team for collecting the comments of different climbers, Sherpas, who were present at that time in the accident area or eyewitness of the incidents. It is a Herculean task you have done, I appreciate your effort which obviously unfolded the tragedy happened on 20th, 21st and 22nd of May, 2016 at the Death Zone of Mt. Everest.

Here, I want to point out one mistake, mentioned in the chronology in my statement; I went up to the Camp-4 of Lhotse on 19th May, 2016 and not 18th, which you have posted.

I salute Sunita for her courage and never to give up the faith. Whether she could reach at the top or not, does not matter, but the power she has shown is really commendable. It is quite sure that all the death of Goutam, Subhas and Paresh happened only and only due to the misguide and negligence of the supporting staffs. I don’t think they are Sherpas, we all know Sherpa never left his climber to death and run away. Could I be at the South Col, I may help them as per my capability, and if I could rescue any one of them, that would be my life time achievement in mountain. These deaths could have been avoided.

My last few days of the Spring Lhotse Expedition, 2016

When I reached at Camp-4 at about 11:45 am, almost exact that time one route opening Sherpa of Mt. Lhotse (Phurba Sherpa) fall from just below the couloirs, when opening the route and his body rolled down to around 8000 ft and thumped at the base of Lhotse face. Seeing this, all other Sherpas denied to move further and instantly cancelled further progress. I tried my level best to convince everyone, but all went in vain. At around 4 pm I found myself and my Sherpa were only left at Camp-4. Then I started to descend and reach Camp-3 at around 5:30 pm. By that time Ramesh, Rudra, Malay and Satyarup alongwith Sherpas (Pemba’s team) reached there and I rested at their tent. After taking a little rest I asked about Goutam da and others, and Pemba informed that they reached at Camp-3 a little before.

Next day (20/05/2016) Pemba’s team left Camp-3 at around 3 am and after sent them off I went to sleep, and awake around 8:00 am. Meanwhile Goutam Da’s team left Camp-3. When I came out from my tent, I was the single man present at Camp-3 as I have sent my Sherpa with Pemba’s team to assist them. Thereafter, I prepared and started to descend and reached Camp-2 before lunch. Initially I thought to descend directly to Base Camp, but on arrival Camp-2, I met some members who were thinking to go to Mt. Lhotse for climb. There I met one American Lady Cleo Weildich, with whom I had climbed Everest in 2010, Kanchenjunga in 2011 and Annapurna in 2012 on the same day. Instantly I changed my mind and decided to attempt Lhotse again. After lunch, me and Cleo went up to the camp of AC (may be the full name is Ascent Camp or Ascent Climbers), one Agency whose some members were waiting there to climb Lhotse. By that time Pemba’s team reached at Summit Camp (Camp-4 at South Col), and I got the information through Walkie-talkie.  AC’s Camp was 15-20 mts ahead of our Seven Summit Trek’s Camp. In between Loben Expedition’s Camp-2 was pitched. When I was passing besides their camp, I asked about the present status of Goutam Da’s team to the person present in the Kitchen Tent of Loben Expedition’s. He said that all are OK, they are on the way to Camp-4 (South Col). I became a little anxious as it was already 2 pm and if still they were on the way, then when they will reach at Camp-4, when they will take rest for summit approach and when they will start? Then we went to AC and organized the meeting. It was an elaborate meeting, we made a team for route opening and summit to Lhotse. After 4:30 we returned back and similarly when I was passing, again I asked about Goutam Da’s progress, but this time that same guy answered very casually that he had no news – “O Log Thik I Hoga” – like this. I asked, “whether they reached at south col or not?”  “Don’t know’ – was his reply. Hearing this type of indifferent replies I became furious and abused him vehemently but he could not inform further.

Next morning (21/05/2016) at around 7am I was informed that Pemba’s team could reach at the top and all were well. But there was no news of other team. After breakfast I went-up to Loben’s Camp, 10 mnts ahead of us. It was around 11 am, two persons were there inside the Kitchen tent, but could not inform anything. I went-up to AC Camp for further discussion. Around noon, at the time of returning to my camp for lunch, I found Loben’s Kitchen tent was closed and did not spot anybody. By that time I became really worried about all the members of Goutam Da’s team. After lunch I asked for the Satellite Phone from Cleo and called Mingma Sherpa, the owner of Seven Summit Treks, at Kathmandu. The reason was, I want to discuss with him about the preparation of further Lhotse attempt and to know the present status of Goutam Da’s team. He said - he also had no news about them, perhaps all were went missing and regarding my Lhotse attempt, he could not thoroughly discuss at present, as he was extremely busy with the death of my another friend Rajib Bhattacharjee at Dhaulagiri.

I was so shocked hearing the fate of Rajib that I became shattered for the next couple of hours. It was so unexpected! And moreover these heart breaking news I was hearing at a tough terrain of Camp-2!!! And when so many my beloved closed were at the Death Zones!!! Numerous times I tried in walkie-talkie, and got the news that Pemba’s team had reached at Camp-4, but inspite of my full effort, I could not gather any information about the other team.

Meanwhile other bad news about the climbers of Seven Summit Treks, started to come. One male climber from Netherlands (Eric Arnold) and one Lady from Australia (Maria Strydom) died, Climber from Hariyana Narinder Yadav was not well, another Lady from Hariyana - Seema Goswami was nearly half dead and unable to moov, lying near Geneva Spur, another climber Naba Kumar Fukan from Assam was also not well. All those were member from the Seven Summit Treks.  I had shifted to a big dome shape tent and converted that as a temporary medical tent. Tried to arrange there the maximum medical facility available at Camp-2. After 2:30 pm Narinder and Naba reached at Camp-2. I became busy with them. Treated Naba and Narinder at my level best. There the symptoms of Frost Bites of both of them. Both cried stating Seema could not move and by that time she might be passed out.

Till night (the same day 21/05/2016), got no information of other team, but heard that Seema was lying near yellow Band above Camp-3. Narinder and Naba could not sleep all the night due to the Frost Bites, pain and exhaustion; I tried to cure them as far as my medical knowledge. I also passed a sleepless night with them.

Next morning (22/05/2016) Naba was severely sick and weak, Narinder was unable to move, but somehow I prepared and motivated them and made them ready to descend to Base Camp by any means. After breakfast I heard that Sunita and Subhas were found alive, but in a pathetic condition and may not survive. Other two passed away. After lunch Pemba’s team reached at Camp-2, but till that time there was no further news about other team. Since by then so many casualties happened of Seven Summit’s own members, they also became busy with them only and I had also never found any members of Loben’s team at their Camp thereafter. When Malay and other members reached, I found that they were too not completely fit, I had started to take care of them for rest of the day. At evening heard that Sunita and Subhas were being taken down by the Sherpas, but thereafter there was no news of them. I feared all of them might be died. One information had come that Paresh previously descended to Camp-3, and then died at Camp-3 and Goutam died above South Col, after summit approach he could not returned to Camp-4. At night heard that rescue team had been taking back Seema to Camp-2.

Next morning (23/05/2016) Pemba’s team left Camp-2 for Base Camp after Breakfast. Our Camp-2 manager requested me to go to IMG’s tent, where rescue Sherpas had descended Seema and kept her there at last night. I went there and noticed she was almost unconscious. Her clothing was wet, shivering in cold, frost bitten and totally exhausted. Changed and washed her, gave her medicines, hot drinks and Oxygen. She then behaves like an infant, but I know how strong she is. She is the National hand wrestling champion. Holding me firmly she started crying and continuously urging not to leave her alone. I called Helicopter from Base Camp through walkie-talkie to rescue her and tied her with a folded stretcher. Then we took her at the Helipad. After around one hour, Heli came and we winch her for Kathmandu via Base Camp.

At lunch time I heard that some Sherpas had carried down Sunita at Camp-2 and sometimes before noon, Helicopter winch her to Kathmandu. Camp-2 is a wide area and if there had any specific information about any incident, it is not possible to know each and every event happened there. Moreover during that days Helicopters were flying very frequently, so in which flight Sunita winched, I could not pointed out.

In the meantime, every day I tried to make a team for Lhotse climb, but unfortunately not realized on every occasion due to various reasons. Ultimately on 24th I had set up my mind and next day ascend to Camp-3, planning to climb camp-4 on 26th and summit at 27th. On 25/05/2016 I ascended to Camp-3 with Cleo, 4 other climbers and our Sherpas. But from afternoon weather became dreadful, high wind started. Sometime it seemed that it would blow away our tents. It continued throughout the night. In next morning (26/05/2016) also it did not calm down. At 8 am, I had decided to abandon the expedition and to return back to the Base Camp. At 8:30 I had started to descend and first reached at Camp-2 then after taking one hour rest there, reached Base Camp at lunch time.

Initially I thought to return to Lukla, but Tashi (owner of Seven Summit), Buddhi (base camp manager of Loben) and the officials from W.B. Govt, reached at Kathmandu and monitoring the whole rescue process, requested me to stay at Base Camp until the rescue would concluded, so I stayed back. In next two days I was engaged with the rescue works, talk to Bishnu (Goutam Da’s Sherpa) and Mingma (Paresh Da’s Sherpa), Indian Army Climbers, Dan Mazur (guide of the team of Leslie) and other members/Sherpas present at the Base Camp to identify the exact locations of their bodies. We can identify that Subhas’s body was lying near Geneva Spur, Paresh Nath’s at South Col and Goutam Ghosh’s at the Triangle Face. We tried to coordinate with rescued Sherpas, and they could take back the Bodies of first Eric Arnold and then Maria.

The rescue Sherpas could trace the bodies of Paresh Nath and Subhas Paul. They wrap Paresh Nath’s body and kept it inside a tent at South Col, but could not reach near Goutam Ghosh due to bad weather. Subhas’s body was carried down to Camp-2. It was decided that, when Subhas’s body was rescued by the Helicopter, I would fly with his body to Kathmandu. But on 29th morning, Buddhi came and said that I could not fly with Subhas. I had to return by trek only. I approached to Tashi and request him to arrange a Helicopter for me to fly to at least Lukla, as on their request only I stayed at the Base Camp to assist the rescue operation, but very surprisingly he denied arranging the same.

It was 29th of May, the Everest Day. Each year at this day Everest Marathon is arranged. This year also numerous runners from different parts of World were gathered at the Everest Base Camp to participate it. The run begins from Everest Base Camp and ends at Namche Bazar. This year to inaugurate it the famous Blade Runner of Singapore came but he fall sick. The organizing committee was searching for a expert person to accompany the runner on his fly to Kathmandu by Helicopter. At that time I was the only climber present there and they request me for that. I agreed immediately. With them first I reached Lukla, there I met Pemba’s team, who were waiting for Kathmandu Flight, which was cancelled last two days due to bad weather. When I was waiting at Lukla Airstrip, another Helicopter had come carrying Subhas’s body. After a short break, first I came back to Kathmandu in one Helicopter, and thereafter Subhas’s Body by another.

Debasish Biswas

I T Officer

icondeba4@gmail.com