The family of Arun Kumar Tiwari, a 53-year-old tech professional from Hyderabad who died near the Hillary Step while descending Mount Everest last week, has chosen to leave his body on the mountain. This decision was influenced by their faith, his love for the Himalayas, and the nearly impossible task of recovery from the death zone.
Recovery Costs and Challenges
Pioneer Adventure, the company that handled the Indian expedition team, initially quoted $114,000 (Rs 1.1 crore) for manual recovery from an altitude above 8,000 metres, later reducing it to $94,000 (Rs 89.7 lakh) as a solidarity concession. This cost is twice the price of summiting Everest. Nivesh Karki, owner of Pioneer Adventure, told TOI that his company charges $45,000 (Rs 42.9 lakh) for its 55-day all-inclusive Kathmandu–Everest–Kathmandu climbing package. However, he emphasized that body retrieval from the death zone requires a separate and far riskier operation.
Tiwari's Final Ascent
Karki added that Tiwari suffered extreme exhaustion soon after starting the final ascent from Camp 4 but continued despite repeated advice from his personal Sherpa guide to descend. Tiwari said there was no way he was abandoning the dream when the peak was so clearly visible and within reach. He reached the summit but began vomiting blood while descending near the Hillary Step, deep inside Everest's death zone above 8,000 metres, where the human body rapidly deteriorates due to extremely thin air. Sherpas tried to revive him with supplemental oxygen, but he died on the spot.
Location and Recovery Difficulties
The location made recovery extraordinarily difficult. The Hillary Step is around 8,790 metres, barely 60 metres below the 8,848.86-metre summit. Helicopter evacuation is only possible from Camp II, around 6,400 metres, leaving Sherpas to move the body down nearly 2,400 vertical metres across the summit ridge and the mountain's most exposed sections. Karki stated that retrieving the body five days after the tragedy is almost impossible because the area is covered in deep snow, and sending Sherpas there would put more lives at risk.
Risks of Body Retrieval
Body retrieval missions from the death zone require 8–10 Sherpas to spend days cutting frozen bodies out of ice, securing them with ropes, and lowering them through exposed, avalanche-prone terrain to Camp II. The operation also consumes large quantities of bottled oxygen and exposes rescuers to frostbite, storms, exhaustion, and the risk of fatal falls. Karki noted that insurance covers helicopter evacuation, not manual recovery of a body.
Comparison with Another Climber
Tiwari was part of the Indian expedition team that also included Sandeep Are, 46, who died during descent after summiting Everest. Are's body was recovered because he died lower on the mountain. Karki explained that Are died around Camp III, and his body could be brought down to Camp II by descending Sherpas, from where helicopter evacuation is possible.
Family's Decision and Beliefs
Tiwari, who is survived by his wife and two daughters, had attempted Everest in 2025 but turned back around 7,200 metres due to health issues before returning this season. His family said the decision to leave the body on Everest was not driven by money alone. Sudhir Upadhyay, Tiwari's brother-in-law, told TOI that the family chose against retrieval after considering religious beliefs, the climber's love for the Himalayas, and the physical toll the process would cause. He said that in their religious texts, the Himalaya is the father of Goddess Parvati, Shiva's consort, and Devbhoomi. Anyone who dies there goes to Vaikunthdham, and bringing him back to earth is a sin. Upadhyay viewed Tiwari's death in the Himalayas as a form of samadhi, citing Hindu beliefs and the spiritual significance of the mountains. He said Tiwari is now a part of the Himalayas, in a way part of Shiva. At that altitude, bones become brittle and the body would have suffered, and his children should not see him mangled. There cannot be a more appropriate final resting place for him.
Administrative Complications
Karki said families whose relatives die on Everest can face documentation complications because, without recovery and formal identification of the body in Kathmandu, the climber is often treated administratively as missing for a prolonged period. If the body is not brought down, getting a death certificate becomes difficult because authorities need identification and post-mortem documentation.
Statistics and Other Incidents
At least 344 climbers have died on Everest since recorded summit attempts began, and mountaineering estimates suggest around 200 bodies remain on the mountain because retrieval is too dangerous or prohibitively expensive. Meanwhile, Lt Col Barthwal, who led the expedition that included Are and Tiwari and coordinated rescue efforts on the mountain, suffered severe frostbite injuries to three fingers. He was airlifted by the Indian Air Force from Kathmandu and is currently recovering at Army Hospital in Delhi.
