Two Indian climbers from the Telugu states lost their lives in separate incidents while descending from Mount Everest earlier this week, after successfully reaching the summit of the world's highest peak. The deceased have been identified as Arun Kumar Tiwari (53) and Sandeep Are (46). Tiwari had migrated to Hyderabad from Uttar Pradesh, while Are hailed from Hindupur in Andhra Pradesh and was working in Phoenix, Arizona.
Training and Expedition Background
Both climbers had trained with the Hyderabad-based expedition group Boots and Crampons, confirmed co-founder Bharath Thammineni, speaking from the base camp on Friday evening. He added that the group's other co-founder, Romil Barthwal, suffered severe frostbite injuries to three fingers during rescue operations and is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Nepal.
Arun Tiwari's Final Ascent
Arun, a senior IT professional, was an avid mountaineer who had previously climbed Denali (North America's highest peak), Mount Elbrus (Russia's tallest), and Mount Aconcagua near the Argentine-Chilean border, among other expeditions. He had attempted Everest last year but abandoned the climb at around 7,200 meters due to health complications at high altitude.
According to Bharath, Arun summited Everest at approximately 5:30 pm on May 21. He was accompanied by two experienced climbing Sherpa guides and attempted to descend together, but he became exhausted at the Hillary Step, a 12-meter rock face on the southeast ridge of Mount Everest, and the guides could not bring him back. Tiwari died near the Hillary Step while being assisted by four Sherpa guides during the descent.
His body has not yet been retrieved, as recovery operations at such extreme altitudes are highly difficult and could cost around $1,000. His family has been informed and is expected to confirm by the next day whether they wish to proceed with the recovery. The Sherpas are also returning, after which the exact cause of death will be ascertained. Arun is survived by his wife and two children.
Sandeep Are's Tragic Descent
Sandeep reached the summit on May 20 at around 10:55 am. According to Bharath, he was among the strongest members of the team and had undergone rigorous preparation over the past year. Shortly after beginning his descent, Sandeep developed severe snow blindness after spending considerable time on the summit. He had removed his goggles to take photographs with flags, and the condition rapidly worsened, leaving him with almost zero visibility and a severe burning sensation in his eyes. This led to High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE), a life-threatening condition caused by fluid accumulation in the brain, said Dipanjan Das, a close acquaintance of Bharath.
A team of Sherpas brought him down from higher camps after a 48-hour-long rescue operation, but Sandeep died at Camp II on the night of May 21. He is survived by his wife and an 18-year-old son. An experienced endurance athlete and mountaineer, his past climbs included Mount Kilimanjaro in 2024 (Africa's tallest peak), the Everest Base Camp trek and Lobuche East in 2025, and Aconcagua in 2026 (South America's tallest). He had also completed the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim hike multiple times.
Record Day on Everest
Three Indians, including Are, were part of a record 274 climbers who summited the 8,848.86-meter peak from the Nepal side on Wednesday, marking the highest number of ascents in a single day. Two other Indian climbers from the expedition, Tulasi Reddu Pulpunoori and Ajay Pal Singh Dhaliwal, descended safely after summiting Everest.
