List of people who died climbing Mount Everest

The most recent years without known deaths on the mountain are 1977, in which only two people reached the summit, and 2020, when permits were suspended by Nepal because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Deaths have been attributed to avalanches, falls, serac collapse, exposure, frostbite, or health problems related to conditions on the mountain.

Not all bodies have been located, so details on those deaths are not available.The upper reaches of the mountain are in the death zone, a mountaineering term for altitudes above a certain point – around 8,000 m (26,000 ft), or less than 356 millibars (5.16 psi) of atmospheric pressure – where the oxygen pressure level is not sufficient to sustain human life.

An extended stay in the zone without supplementary oxygen will result in deterioration of bodily functions, loss of consciousness, and death.

[5][6][7] During the 1921 British Mount Everest reconnaissance expedition, two people died en route to the mountain: an unidentified porter and heart attack victim A. M.

[10] But it also includes the 1996 Mount Everest disaster on May 11, 1996, during which eight people died due to being caught in a blizzard while making summit attempts.

Two books detailing the disaster, Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer and The Climb by Anatoli Boukreev, both written by mountaineers who were on Mount Everest at the time, give conflicting accounts of the events.

Videos shared on social media showed climbers waiting in long queues to advance up the mountain.