American national among two killed on Mt. Everest, marking first deaths this year

By Mike Brest

Published May 13, 2021 12:33pm ET

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American national among two killed on Mt. Everest, marking first deaths this year — FILE - In this May 18, 2013 file photo released by Alpenglow Expeditions, a climber prepares to descend the Hillary Step as he makes his way down from the summit of Mount Everest, in the Khumbu region of the Nepal Himalayas. Nepal will slash the climbing fees for Mount Everest to attract more mountaineers to the world's highest peak, even as concerns grow about the environmental effects of thousands of climbers who already crowd the mountain during the high season. Madhusudan Burlakoti, head of Nepal's Department of Mountains, said Friday, Feb. 14, 2014 that beginning next year, it will cost $11,000 per climber to climb Everest. (AP Photo/Alpenglow Expeditions, Adrian Ballinger, File) MANDATORY CREDIT, EDITORIAL USE ONLY | Adrian Ballinger

Two climbers, a Swiss and a U.S. national, died on Mt. Everest, marking the first deaths on the world’s highest mountain in 2021.

Abdul Waraich, 41, a Swiss climber, and Puwei Liu, 55, an American, were both able to reach the highest camp but experienced issues, which ultimately proved fatal, expedition organizers announced Thursday. Waraich was able to reach the peak and encountered problems on his descent.

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