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An American climber has been confirmed dead and another missing after attempting to climb the world’s 14th highest mountain.
The failed climb took place on Tibet’s Mount Shishapangma on Saturday – after two avalanches hit the slopes at an altitude of about 26,000 feet, Chinese media reported.
American traveler Anna Gutu, 32, and her Nepalese guide, Mingmar Sherpa, were reported missing – and confirmed dead on Sunday after their bodies were pulled from the snow.
Another American-Nepali couple, Gina Marie Rzucidlo, 45, and Tenjen Sherpa, also disappeared in the snowdrifts – the cause of at least 120 deaths in the region in the past two years.
They both remain missing.
Both women had been racing to become the first American woman to traverse the real peaks of the world’s only eight-thousanders – a range of mountains in the Himalayas and neighboring Karakorams with peaks of 8,000 meters (26,000 feet).
American mountaineer Anna Gutu was declared dead on Sunday after attempting to climb Mount Shishapangma in Tibet
Still missing is Gina Marie Rzucidlo, another American who had raced to become the first US woman to reach the peaks of the world’s only eight-thousanders – a range of mountains in the Himalayas and adjacent Karakorams with peaks reaching 8,000 metres.
All peaks, including Shishapangma, are considered ‘death zones’ – meaning they are at altitudes above a certain point, causing a lack of oxygen insufficient to sustain human life.
That mark is generally thought to be about 8,000 meters — about the altitude Gutu and Mingmar were at when one of the avalanches was observed Saturday on Shishapangma, the world’s 14th highest mountain, at 8,027 meters (26,335 feet).
According to the Himalayan Times, their bodies were recovered by a mountaineering team on Sunday – while Rzucidlo and her Nepalese mountain guide were still reported to be missing as of 1:30 pm ET.
The four were among a total of 52 climbers from countries including Britain, Romania and Pakistan who were on their way to the summit when the avalanches struck, and were nearly there when the snow hit.
Also affected by the dueling natural disasters was Nepalese mountain guide Karma Geljen Sherpa, who was escorted off the mountain by rescuers and is said to be in stable condition.
The still-missing Sherpa, meanwhile, was one half of a duo that broke the record for the fastest ascent of the 14 mountains last July, with a time of 92 days.
The previous record was 189 days – more than double the time it took him and 37-year-old Norwegian climber Kristin Harila.
He was 35 years old himself and, if he had made a successful climb, he would have been the youngest climber to climb all fourteen peaks twice.
Gutu’s Nepalese guide, Mingmar Sherpa (pictured), was also reported missing – and his body was recovered with the Americans on Sunday
Rzucidlo (left) and her Nepalese mountaineering partner Tenjen (right) were still missing on Sunday afternoon, as all four were near the summit when the unusual avalanches struck
The still-missing Sherpa, meanwhile, was one half of a duo that broke the record for the fastest ascent of the 14 mountains last July – together with Norwegian professional Kristin Harila (right) in just 92 days.
His partner, Rzucidlo, had climbed with Seven Summit Tracks.
Harila, an experienced climber with more than 160,000 followers on social media, confirmed Saturday that she and members of her mountain team were on a plane to Nepal to help in the search for both climbers.
An accompanying statement from Harila’s team, citing The Himalayan Times report, stressed that her “thoughts and prayers are with (Tenjen) and his family.”
Gutu – another expert whose exploits had earned her more than 33,000 followers on social media – had climbed with Elite Exped, another respected climbing company founded in 2017 by world-class Nepalese mountaineers.
The Ukrainian-born American’s friends and fans have since flocked to her sprawling social media accounts to pay their respects.
One tribute, left by famed Indian police officer Gurjot Singh Kaler, read: I really miss you. Heartbroken when I heard about the avalanche. You were one of the best people I have ever met.”
The avalanches struck Tibet’s Shishapangma mountain at 7,600 (about 25,000 feet) and 8,000 meters (about 26,000 feet) on Saturday afternoon.
Guta’s body and that of her Sherpa were recovered on Sunday, and friends and fans have since flocked to her social media to pay their respects. The mountain remains closed due to dangerous conditions caused by the snow
One mourner wrote of the American, who was born in Ukraine: “We lost the most beautiful light today. The world will never be this bright without you. You are forever frozen in time as our beautiful mountain angel. I love you very much’
In the meantime, the search for Rzucidlo and Tenjen continues
Another added: “We lost the most beautiful light today. The world will never be this bright without you. You are forever frozen in time as our beautiful mountain angel. I love you very much.’
Experts also warn that climate change has increased the risk of avalanches in the region, even during the somewhat nice post-monsoon season, which the region is currently in the midst of.
Yet the mountain is known to claim lives all year round. The incident comes after at least 42 people were killed after a glacial lake overflowed its banks last week, causing flooding in the region.
Officials are still assessing the extent of that crisis.