Kathmandu - Sherpa guides have collected four bodies and 11
tons of trash from Mount Everest in a month-long clean-up campaign, a
tourism official said on Friday.
A group of 12 Sherpa guides retrieved four bodies, dozens of oxygen
cylinders as well as discarded cans, ropes, tents and wrappers from
several camps on the 8,848-metre peak, said Dandu Raj Ghimire,
director general of Nepal's Department of Tourism.
"The Sherpas segregated the waste at the base camp. Only recyclable
waste was brought to Kathmandu," Ghimire said. The four bodies, which
are yet to be identified, were handed over to forensic experts at a
hospital in the capital.
Officials on Wednesday handed the trash from Everest to a recycling
company in Kathmandu, he said.
During the commercial expeditions on Everest in spring season,
mountain guides set up camps and ferry supplies from the base camp to
higher camps.
The government rule requires each climber to bring back at least 8
kilograms of trash, but it's not widely implemented due to weak
regulatory oversight.
While about 5 000 people have successfully reached the top of
Everest, more than 300 have died in their attempts.
Deaths spiked during this year's April-May climbing season amid
concerns of overcrowding, with 11 people losing their lives.