KATHMANDU: The last surviving member of the first mountaineering expedition to successfully reach the summit of Mount Everest has died in Kathmandu at age 92.
Kanchha Sherpa was a teenager when he accompanied the historic 1953 team led by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa.
The cause of Kanchha Sherpa’s death early on Thursday morning remains unclear.
His grandson Tenzing Chogyal Sherpa confirmed that Kanchha had been unwell for a few days before his passing.
Born in 1933, Kanchha Sherpa was just 19 when he joined the expedition as a porter despite having no prior mountaineering experience.
He undertook the arduous trek lasting more than two weeks to Mount Everest’s Base Camp while carrying food, tents and equipment.
Kanchha Sherpa eventually climbed to an altitude of more than 8,000 metres close to the peak during the historic expedition.
Fur Gelje Sherpa, president of Nepal’s mountaineering association, described him as a living legend and inspiration for all in mountaineering.
Kanchha Sherpa worked in the Himalayan mountains for two more decades after the 1953 expedition until his wife asked him to stop.
His family said this request came after many of his friends died while assisting other climbing treks in the dangerous mountains. – AFP
