On this day, 11 May 1996, Mount Everest witnessed one of the darkest tragedies in mountaineering history. What began as a summit push on the world’s highest mountain turned into a deadly fight for survival as a violent storm engulfed climbers high in the “Death Zone” above 8,000 metres. Eight climbers lost their lives during the disaster, forever changing the history of Everest and the way high-altitude expeditions were viewed around the world.

Among those who perished on the South Col route were expedition leaders Rob Hall (35, New Zealand) and Scott Fischer (40, USA), both regarded among the strongest Himalayan climbers of their generation. Also killed were Adventure Consultants guide Andrew “Andy” Harris (31, New Zealand), clients Doug Hansen (46, USA) and Yasuko Namba (47, Japan), who had just become only the second Japanese woman to complete the Seven Summits.

On Everest’s North Side, three members of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police expedition, Dorje Morup (47), Tsewang Paljor (28), and Tsewang Smanla (38), also died in the same storm while descending from the summit ridge. Their story remained less known internationally, yet it remains an equally painful chapter of the 1996 disaster.

The catastrophe exposed the brutal realities of high-altitude climbing: overcrowding near the summit, delayed turnaround times, exhaustion, oxygen shortages, and the unpredictable power of Himalayan weather. The tragedy later became known worldwide through books, documentaries, and films, most notably Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air, sparking lasting debate over commercial expeditions, responsibility, and risk on Everest.

Thirty years on, the names of Rob Hall, Scott Fischer, Yasuko Namba, Doug Hansen, Andy Harris, Dorje Morup, Tsewang Paljor, and Tsewang Smanla are still remembered on Everest. The mountain may have taken them, but their stories will always live on Everest. ཨོཾ་མ་ཎི་པདྨེ་ཧཱུྃ!