An American doctor died Monday while climbing Mount Everest.
The U.S. Embassy in Nepal confirmed the death of Dr. Jonathan Sugarman, a family medicine specialist and University of Washington professor. A cause of death was not released.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends,” the embassy said. “The Embassy is in contact with Dr. Sugarman’s family and with local authorities. Out of respect for the family’s privacy, we cannot comment further.”
International Mountain Guides, a Washington State company that organizes and leads climbs, said a member of its expedition had died.
“The rest of the IMG climbing team is all doing as well as can be expected given the circumstances,” owner Eric Simonson said.
Simonson added that Sugarman, a 69-year-old Seattle native, did not die in an accident. “We can confirm that this event was not the result of a climbing accident or route condition that would be of potential impact or safety concern to any other teams on the mountain,” he said.
Pasang Sherpa, the first Nepalese woman to climb Everest, told CNN Sugarman died “after he began to feel unwell” at Camp 2, about 21,000 feet above sea level.
The retired medical doctor was an experienced climber and had previously tried to climb Everest in 2022, turned back after reaching Camp 3, about 24,000 feet above sea level, according to Outside magazine.
At more than 29,000 feet above sea level, Mount Everest is the highest point on Earth. On average, four or five people each year die climbing it, and at least 310 have died on the mountain since 1953.
Three Sherpas died on Everest earlier this month while delivering construction materials to make a route climbers could use to reach the summit after they were swept into a crevasse by a falling block of ice.
Sugarman’s death came two weeks after Northern Irish mountain climber Noel Hanna died while descending Annapurna mountain in the Himalayas in Nepal.
