SARS keeps mountaineers away from Everest
The SARS outbreak is keeping many Mount Everest climbers away from a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the conquest of the world’s highest mountain.
Organisers of the celebration say many Japanese, Chinese and South-east Asian climbers have cancelled their trips to Nepal to attend the anniversary later this month because of concerns about being infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome while travelling.
“The fear of SARS could hamper the celebrations. We have had a lot of cancellations from Everest summiteers from these countries,” Nepal Mountaineering Association’s Bhoomi Lama said today.
Lama said mountaineers from Europe and the United States also have expressed concerns, but that no cancellations have been received from those regions.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome has killed more than 460 people and infected more than 6,500 worldwide. Health officials say there are no known cases of SARS in Nepal.
On May 29, 1953, New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first people to reach Everest’s 29,035ft summit.
Organisers are hoping to gather hundreds of people who have scaled Mount Everest since then to celebrate the anniversary in the Nepal’s capital, Katmandu, on May 29.
Among the veteran mountaineers expected to attend are Hillary and Junko Tabei, the first woman to reach the summit, in 1975.
More than 1,200 people have successfully climbed the mountain, while nearly 200 have died on its slopes.
