An Australian climber, 34 years old, died while descending from the summit of Everest, the tallest mountain in the world (8,848 meters), as reported by Australian media on Sunday.
The reason. Maria Strydom, 34 years old, married and non-tenure teacher at Monash University, lost her life last Friday due to altitude sickness, according to her mother, Maritha, on her social media account.
Altitude sickness, caused by a reduction in atmospheric pressure and low levels of oxygen, causes dizziness, fatigue, vertigo, headache, loss of appetite, nausea, rapid pulse, difficulty breathing, difficulty sleeping, and in some cases can be fatal.
Died in her husband's arms. Maria Strydom died in the presence of her husband, Rob Gropel, who took responsibility for taking her to the campsite so that she could be airlifted to Kathmandu, according to the Australian radio station ABC.
Another death occurred. Another teammate of Strydom also lost his life on the same day and for the same reason: Dutch climber Eric Arnold, 35 years old.
Arnold died at 8,300 meters high, during the descent, according to a spokesperson for Seven Summit Treks to ANP.
The data. Despite these deaths, 330 climbers have successfully completed the Everest challenge this season, according to ABC. EFE
