Tragedy strikes as US citizen dies climbing Mount Everest
US-based firm International Mountain Guides, announced on Monday that member of their expedition team had died
May 02, 2023
A US citizen lost his life while trying to scale Mount Everest, the highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas, the US embassy said without releasing details about the cause of the death of the mountaineer.
The death of Dr Jonathan Sugarman was also confirmed by the US Embassy in Nepal in a statement released on Tuesday. However, the statement did not provide further details about the cause of death.
The statement from the embassy read: "Our deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends."
It also added: "The Embassy is in contact with Dr Sugarman’s family and with local authorities."
Washington-based firm International Mountain Guides announced on Monday that a member of their expedition team had died.
Eric Simonson the company's owner, said in a statement that the death was not the result of an accident but also did not explain further about additional details.
"The rest of the IMG climbing team is all doing as well as can be expected given the circumstances," Simonson said.
Mount Everest is regarded as the Earth's highest mountain, with a height of 30,000 feet above sea level.
Puwei Liu, an American had also died in 2021 at the mountain's highest camp, returning after snow blindness and exhaustion prevented him from reaching the peak.
Guides who have experience told NBC News back in 2019 that "a large contributing factor to the deaths that climbing season was lack of preparation. Visiting climbers can underestimate the difficulty of the journey and seek permits despite their inexperience."
