There Have Been 11 Deaths On Mount Everest This May

With Meghna Chakrabarti

Concerns of overcrowding on Mount Everest grow as a Colorado man became the 11th person to die in May on Monday.

Alan Arnette, mountaineer. He runs a blog chronicling Mount Everest. He summited Mount Everest in 2011. (@alan_arnette)

Ben Jones, guide for Alpine Ascents International. He completed his sixth summit of Mount Everest on May 23, 2019, leading a group of 10 people.

CNN: "Why this year has been so dangerous for Mount Everest's climbers" — "Everest has always been extremely dangerous, but its most fatal years on record have generally been related to a single disastrous event.

"For example, an avalanche in 2014 killed at least 12 Sherpa guides, and a series of avalanches in 2015 sparked by that year's massive Nepal earthquake caused the deaths of at least 19 people.

"This climbing season's 11 deaths so far, though, are not related to one event but to several factors that have caused overcrowding in the most dangerous areas of the route to the summit.

"Mountaineers have suggested difficult weather conditions, a lack of experience and the growing commercialization of expeditions are contributing to the danger."

Hilary McQuilkin produced this segment for broadcast.