Mt. Everest claims a seventh victim
Sergei Samoilov, who was part of a Kazakstani expedition attempting to negotiate the Lhotse-Everest traverse in the Himalayas, reportedly has died, though details are scant.
The news was reported Thursday on Mounteverest.net and confirmed on the expedition website, which vaguely mentions that "during the last attempt of Lhotse summit, Sergey Samoilov was lost."
The website further states: "A group of Sherpas are going to carry Sergey Samoilov’s body to the Camp 2 for temporary burial" and that in the fall, after the monsoon season, an attempt will be made to retrieve the body.
The Kazakhs could be the last team on Lhotse/Everest's south side. Most or all other Mt. Everest teams, after a busy week and several successful summits of the world's tallest mountain, have returned to base camp or departed for home.
Samoilov would be the seventh person to have died on Mt. Everest this climbing season.
—Pete Thomas
Photo of Samoilov (top right) courtesy of his expedition.
Photo of the daunting Lhotse face courtesy of Rainier Mountaineering Inc.
