By Peter Ochieng
The family of Kenya’s mountaineer Cheruiyot Kirui continues to mourn his demise, adding that he may have died after a fall on Mt Everest.
Kirui’s kin said that the mountain climber and his guide, Nepalese Nawang Sherpa might have taken a fall while attempting to scale the mountain without using supplementary oxygen.
“Cheruiyot lost radio communication with base camp early morning of May 22, 2024 on his summit push. He was reported missing by his expedition company and immediately a team of rescue sherpas stationed at camp 4 were dispatched to the point of last contact,” the family said in a statement on Friday.
“His body was discovered at an altitude of 8,800m, 48 meters from the summit. Whereas it is not possible to determine the exact sequence of events, we know that Cheruiyot and his guide took a fall.”
Sherpa’s whereabouts are still unknown. Everest Today broke the news of Cheruiyot’s demise on Thursday morning, via a post on X.
“With profound sadness, we share the news of Kenyan mountaineer Cheruiyot Kirui’s passing on Mt Everest. His body was found a few metres below the summit point of Mt Everest.”
“His indomitable will and passion for mountaineering will forever be an inspiration. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends during this time of sorrow. Rest in peace, Cheruiyot,” added Everest Today.
Cheruiyot was a banker and climbed to the peak of Mt Kenya over 15 times.
In March, 2024, the said he was determined to become the first African to climb Mt Everest without supplementary oxygen.
“It is riskier than climbing with supplemental oxygen. You need to be extremely fit. The success rate of climbing without supplemental oxygen is less than 40 per cent,” he stated.
“Climbing Everest has been done before. I think the only difference is what I’m trying to do, climbing without supplemental oxygen. That has not been done by any African. It’s the tough way to climb Mt Everest,” he added.
Mount Everest’s elevation (snow height) of 8,848.86 was most recently established in 2020 by the Chinese and Nepali authorities.
It attracts many climbers, including highly experienced mountaineers. There are two main climbing routes, one approaching the summit from the southeast in Nepal (known as the standard route) and the other from the north in Tibet.
While not posing substantial technical climbing challenges on the standard route, Everest presents dangers such as altitude sickness, weather and wind, as well as hazards from avalanches or falls.
As of November 2022, 310 people had died on Everest. Over 200 bodies remain on the mountain and have not been removed due to the dangerous conditions.
By the end of the 2010 climbing season, there had been 5,104 ascents to the summit by about 3,142 individuals.