Indian woman among nearly 40 climbers frostbitten on Everest

Nearly 40 climbers including an Indian woman have developed frostbite on their way to Mount Everest even as two foreigners died of altitude sickness during this Himalayan climbing season which saw about 400 mountaineers summit the world's highest peak, officials said today.
Seema Goshwami, who has developed frostbite to her hands and feet at the South Col camp, was unable to move.
Several Sherpa guides carried Goshwami from the highest camp at nearly 8,000 meters to camp two which is located at 6,400 meters. There were attempts to airlift her as her condition was stable.
Nearly 400 climbers have summitted the 8,850-metre high peak since May 11.

Some 35-40 climbers suffered frostbite in camp 3 and 4 while attempting to reach the summit or on their descent,said Gyanendra Shrestha, an official of the Mountaineering Department of Nepal's Tourism Ministry.
In the past two days, a Dutch and an Australian mountaineer have died of altitude sickness after scaling Mount Everest, days after an Indian climber lost his life after falling sick while descending Nepal's Dhaulagiri peak.

Meanwhile, two Indian climbers have gone missing in the mountain and a search was on. Out of four Indian climbers who have gone missing, two have come into contact today, he said.

Favorable weather has allowed nearly 400 climbers to reach the summit from Nepal since May 11, but the altitude, weather and harsh terrain can cause problems at any time.
Frost bite occurs due to human negligence in the mountain. The climbers need to shake their hands from time to time to avoid such a situation, said Shrestha.