A daring attempt by Kenyan climber Cheruiyot Kirui to scale Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen has ended in tragedy, with his body discovered just metres below the summit, according to base camp officials.
The fate of his Sherpa guide, Nawang Sherpa, remains unknown in a devastating turn first reported by The Himalayan Times.
Rescuers from Seven Summit Treks made the grim discovery during their descent on Thursday, spotting Kirui’s body lying lifeless close to the 8,849-metre (29,032-foot) peak he had dreamed of conquering.
Just days earlier, Kirui had shared his excitement on social media as his “no-oxygen attempt” neared its final push. Outlining the extraordinary risks, he wrote: “My plan comes with its special preparations and risks…On the other risks, I’m taking measures.”
However, his foreboding words hinted at a premonition of the tragedy to come: “It’s now the moment of truth…we reconvene here in a few days to see how things will have turned out.”
Those measures included heated gear to combat frostbite, medication for potential altitude illnesses, and an emergency oxygen bottle ferried by Nawang in case Kirui “went lights out or bananas.” Yet even these precautions proved insufficient in Everest’s lethal “death zone.”
“Nawang last communicated from Bishop Rock that Kirui refused to return and consume bottled oxygen but showed abnormal behaviour,” base camp officials stated. Climbers on the summit push today are searching for any sign of the missing Sherpa.
Kirui’s audacious dream — to join the over 200 mountaineers who have summited without bottled oxygen — epitomized the lure and perils of Everest.
