Huge queues to reach summit of Mount Everest sparks safety concerns for climbers

A photo of hundreds of mountain climbers in a long queue to get to the summit of Mount Everest has gone viral, sparking fears of danger.

A photo showing hundreds of climbers in a queue waiting to get to the summit of Mount Everest has sparked fears those on the climb are endangering their lives.

The photo shows the climbers in a winding line on the perilous slope, waiting to reach the peak of the mountain.

It was posted to Twitter on Thursday by Nirma Purja, a former Nepali soldier and Royal Marine, who said he managed to have his time on the summit, despite “heavy traffic”. Mr Purja estimated there were about 320 other climbers stacked in the freezing conditions, waiting to get to the peak.

The photo of the climbers forming an orderly queue as they complete their extreme feat of human endurance has since shocked people all over the world — the original tweet from Mr Purja has been retweeted over 200 times and liked 1300 times.

“That queue is insane. How long did it take to summit from that point?” one commenter asked.

“That traffic is all kinds of dangerous awful. Congratulations!!” another said.

“There’s even a line to Everest? Soon a fast pass will be available,” a commenter joked.

There are fears that overcrowding could cause injury and death, adding to already inherent dangers involved with climbing Everest.

Recent deaths on the mountain have been linked to overcrowding, including two deaths just the day before the photo was taken. A female Indian climber, 55, died during her descent, and Arun Treks, who organised the woman’s climb said she was forced to “wait for hours” to reach the summit. They blamed the lengthy the delays for her death, according to The Times.

An American man died on the mountain the same day, his sherpa telling The Kathmandu Post it was “obviously” the crush of people that led to him developing a fatal case of altitude sickness, as he was delayed on the mountain’s ridges.

The photo shows hundreds of climbers in a traffic jam as they near the summit of Mount Everest. Picture: Project Possible

The photo has raised concerned about safety on the Himalayan peak, as more and more adventurous climbers flock to the world’s tallest mountain to achieve the personal best of climbing to the world’s highest point.

Despite the increasing popularity of the spot, conditions remain extreme — on the day of Mr Purja’s climb, it was minus 25C on the mountain.

Earlier this month, officials cleaning rubbish from Mount Everest made the grisly discovery of four bodies buried among garbage discarded on the mountain.

Over the a 45-day campaign to remove rubbish, which began on April 14, an estimated 11 tonnes of trash discarded by climbers will be carted off the mountain.

According to ABC, 5200 people have hiked to the top of Mount Everest and another 775 are planning to try it this year alone. While on the difficult journey, climbers often discard their belongings, including larger items like their tents and climbing gear. Others, challenged by the conditions, don’t survive the difficult climb.

Mount Everest has tragically claimed the lives of about 300 climbers since the first attempt to reach the summit in 1921.

It’s estimated two thirds of these people remain buried in the mountain’s snow and ice, according to reports from earlier this year.