American doctor dies at Camp II on Everest

KATHMANDU, MAY 2

An American climber died at Camp II on Mt Everest yesterday, expedition organizer said. According to Mohan Kafle, Manager at Beyul Adventure, Jonathan Sugarman, 69, died during his acclimatization rotation at Camp II. The Seattle-based medical doctor suddenly feeling unwell at camp II and breathed his last, according to Kafle. He was a part of the expedition handled by International Mountain Guides. Beyul Adventure has locally managed IMG expedition.Last year, Sugarman abandoned his climb from Camp III on Everest as he scaled Lobuche and Island peaks with IMG.”Efforts are underway to airlift his body from camp II,” Kafle said, adding that bad weather was hampering recovery efforts.The Harvard graduate earlier served as a Clinical Professor in the Departments of Family Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of Washington.The US Embassy in Kathmandu is also coordinating with Beyul and IMG to recover his body from the base camp, Sources said. This is the fourth death on Everest this season. Earlier, three Sherpa climbers died in an avalanche in the Khumbu icefall on May 12.