Mount Everest climbers seen queuing past dead body on peak that has claimed 11 lives in nine days
Mountaineer Elia Saikaly posted the image on Instagram
CLIMBERS have been photographed queuing past a frozen dead body as they battle past crowds to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
The haunting photo of a line of mountaineers stepping over a corpse was shared to highlight the dangers on the peak that has claimed 11 lives in nine days.
Canadian filmmaker and mountaineer Elia Saikaly posted the image on Instagram after scaling Everest for the third time.
He told how this climb would be his last after witnessing: “Death. Carnage. Chaos”.
“I have a lot to say and share. I cannot believe what I saw up there,” he wrote.
“Dead bodies on the route and in tents at camp 4. People who I tried to turn back who ended up dying.
“People being dragged down. Walking over bodies. Everything you read in the sensational headlines all played out on our summit night.”
The carnage on the mountain was summed up by the eerie photo that was taken on the Hillary Step on May 23.
It shows at least 18 climbers walking inches apart from each other on a craggy ledge – as a frozen corpse lay directly beneath them.
'BENEATH OUR FEET...A LIFELESS SOUL'
“The early morning light had revealed the gateway to the summit of Everest and in parallel a human being who had lost his life,” Saikaly wrote.
“Here we all were, chasing a dream and beneath our very feet there was a lifeless soul. Is this what Everest has become?
“As I documented the team climbing the iconic step, my mind raced and empathized with every person who struggled to stay alive while undoubtedly questioning their own humanity, ethics and integrity.
“This poor human being perched 7000ft above the Western CWM for everyone to observe was a reminder of each of our own mortality. Was this the 'Dream of Everest' we all imagined?
“My heart bled for the family and loved ones and at the same time I was conscious of the necessity to continue to move. At nearly 9000m above sea level, there is no choice but to carry on.”
The post was shared as news emerged that the death toll on the mountain over the past nine days has climbed to 11.
11 DEATHS IN NINE DAYS
American John Kulish, 61, died at South Col on the descent from the summit of Mount Everest on Monday.
Most of the deaths on Everest this year have been attributed to exhaustion and tiredness, exacerbated because a crowded route to and from the summit has led to delays.
British climber Robin Haynes Fisher, 44, died on the mountain just hours after warning overcrowding on the mountain could be "fatal".
Fisher chillingly revealed on social media how he had changed his plans to avoid the crowds on Everest just hours before he died on the descent.
The climber said: "With a single route to the summit, delays caused by overcrowding could prove fatal so I am hopeful my decision to go for the 25th will mean fewer people.
The 56-year-old, from Galway, Ireland, was coming from the Tibetan (North) side on Friday morning as part of a team of six along with three expert sherpas.
He died in his tent at 7,000m after turning back before reaching the summit.
His death came just over a week after dad-of-one Séamus Lawless, from Bray, Co Wicklow went missing after falling up to 500m from the Balcony area of Everest in temperatures of -27C.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are in contact with relevant tour operators following reports that British climber has died on Mount Everest and are ready to provide support to the family."
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