Hello, everyone. I'm Carl Azuz.Thank you for taking ten minutes to get up to speed on international current events.We're starting this Tuesday on the world's highest mountain.Every year since 1900, at least one person has died climbing Nepal's Mount Everest, and this year is no exception.The 2016 climbing season has claimed its first victims.One climber died on Thursday, one on Friday, one on Saturday, and one on Sunday.And these deaths coming so close together have frightened many of the climbers who are starting their trip back down the mountain.So, why did this happen now?
Well, most people attempt to climb Everest in April and May.One reason, the winds are calmer.In other months, there are usually hurricane force winds at the summit.There are also tends to be less snow falling at this time of year, though temperatures are still will below zero degrees Fahrenheit.
Mount Everest spring climbing season has turned deadly with four deaths now in the past four days.You have to get to 29,000 feet to get to the top of Mount Everest.And above 26,000 feet is called the death zone.There's just not enough oxygen up there for your body to last very long.Now, this is the first real death from climbing that we've seen since they close the mountain because of the earthquake.
I remember, there was also the avalanche that closed part of the climbing season in 2015, 2014.So, not many people have been up there.They're also saying that there are so many people trying to get to the top because it is now open again but then slowing the ascent and keeping those people, keeping the climbers in that dead zone longer because it's such a slow climb to the top.Avalanches kill people. Injuries kill people from falling, or from collapses, also weather from exposure, and, of course, just altitude sickness alone is killing people up there because of the height of Mount Everest.
But for many climbers, the danger is what actually attracts them to Mount Everest.And since this year's climbing season began, about 300 people have made it to the top.We don't know yet if the reason deaths there will impact tourism.That's a major industry in Nepal.But tragedies can significant impact the number of people who might want to visit a country.
For example, in Egypt, another economy that benefits from tourism, visits were down by 40 percent early this year, as compared to early 2015.And though investigators aren't certain what caused EgyptAir Flight 804 to crash in the Mediterranean last week, that event, along with some others in recent years could deeply hurt Egypt.
This crash is a major blow to a fragile but crucial part of the economy.Egypt has been struggling to bring back visitors really since 2010 when the number of tourists hit a record high of over 14 million.Last year, that number was about nine million.