Three people died Thursday while attempting to scale Mount Everest, authorities have confirmed.
Mountaineering agencies told NBC News that 27-year-old Nihal Bagwan, 54-year-old Anjali Kulkarni, and 49-year-old Kalpana Das were among the deceased. The deaths were later confirmed by Nepal's tourism department Friday. Nihal Bagwan, per Peak Promotion mountaineering agency, was waiting in line ahead of the summit when he collapsed from exhaustion and died. Anjali Kulkarni and Kalpana Das, meanwhile, died while "descending the mountain." Their official causes of death have not been determined.
These three deaths, however, are just the latest such incident amid concerning overcrowding problems in the region. Earlier this month, 55-year-old Utah resident and Seven Summits Club member Don Cash died after reaching the Everest summit. All told, five climbers have died since the climbing season kicked off this month.
In addition to documented overcrowding problem, climate conditions near the tourist hotspot have seen a particularly harsh season this year. Extreme winds often cut down the time climbers have to get to the summit.
Understandably, these conditions have many calling for a greater focus on limiting the amount of approved climbers at the consistently popular destination. According to a separate BBC News report, this year's visitor average is currently on par to possibly surpass the 2018 record of 807 people hitting the summit.
