The family of Arun Kumar Tiwari, a 53-year-old Hyderabad-based technology professional who died near Hillary Step while descending Mount Everest last week, has decided to leave his body on the mountain. The decision is based on faith, his love for the Himalayas, and the near-impossible task of recovery from the so-called death zone.
Recovery Costs and Risks
Pioneer Adventure, the company that handled the Indian team, initially quoted $114,000 (Rs 1.1 crore) for recovering the body from a height of over 8,000 meters before reducing it to $94,000 (Rs 89.7 lakh) as a solidarity concession. This amount is twice the cost of summiting the peak. Nivesh Karki, owner of Pioneer Adventure, told TOI that his company charges $45,000 (Rs 42.9 lakh) for its 55-day Everest package, but body retrieval from the death zone is a far riskier operation.
Details of the Incident
Karki said Tiwari suffered extreme exhaustion soon after starting the final ascent from Camp 4, but he continued despite repeated advice from his personal Sherpa guide to descend. He (Tiwari) said there was no way he was abandoning the dream when the peak was so clearly visible and within reach, Karki recounted. Tiwari reached the summit but began vomiting blood while descending near Hillary Step, deep inside Everest's death zone above 8,000 meters, where the human body rapidly deteriorates in such thin air.
Sherpas tried to revive him with supplemental oxygen, but he died on the spot.
Challenges of Body Retrieval
The location made recovery of the body extraordinarily difficult: Hillary Step is around 8,790 meters, barely 60 meters below the 8,848.86-meter summit. Helicopter evacuation only becomes feasible from Camp II, around 6,400 meters, leaving Sherpas to move the body down nearly 2,400 meters across the summit ridge and the mountain's most exposed sections. Retrieving the body now, five days after the tragedy, is almost impossible because the area is covered in deep snow. Sending Sherpas there would put more lives at risk, Karki said.
Karki informed that body retrieval missions from the death zone require 8 to 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 risk of fatal falls. Insurance covers helicopter evacuation, not manual recovery of a body, he added.
Comparison with Another Victim
Tiwari was part of the Indian expedition team that included Sandeep Are, 46, who died during descent after summiting Everest. Are's body was recovered because he died lower on the mountain. Are died around Camp III and his body could be brought down to Camp II because Sherpas who were descending managed to move him. From Camp II, chopper evacuation is possible, Karki said.
Background
Tiwari, who is survived by his wife and two daughters, had attempted Everest in 2025 but turned back around 7,200 meters due to health issues before returning this season.
