The Tragic Story Of The 1996 Mount Everest Disaster

Some, like Gau and Weathers, were lucky enough to be rescued, although not without enduring some serious damage. Weathers lost his nose, his left fingers, and his right arm, and Gau lost his nose, fingers, and feet. But tragically, eight climbers ended up perishing during their attempt to summit Mount Everest on May 10, 1996. At the time, this was a record number of deaths in a single day.

Hall and Hansen perished at Hillary Step, and it's believed that Andy Harris died in an attempt to get them oxygen, since his body was never discovered, according to ThoughtCo. Unlike Weathers, Namba never awoke and froze to death above Camp IV, as did Fischer.

On the Tibetan side of the mountain, Tsewang Smanla, Tsewang Paljor, and Dorje Morup, who were part of one of the two groups ascending from the Tibetan side, also lost their lives during the storm. Paljor's body is believed to still be on Mount Everest, though it is known by the moniker "Green Boots." Unfortunately, it's not known exactly what happened to Smanla, Paljor, and Morup.

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