10 years ago: Mississauga provincial election candidate died on Mount Everest
Published July 28, 2022 at 3:14 pm
When Shriya Shah-Klorfine died after reaching the summit of Mount Everest 10 years ago, she became the 229th person–and fifth Canadian–to perish while climbing the world’s tallest peak.
The 33-year-old, who about a year prior to her ascent of Everest had run unsuccessfully in the 2011 Ontario election in the riding of Mississauga East-Cooksville, died on May 19, 2012 during her descent from the 29,031-foot summit.
Shah-Klorfine was among three climbers to die that day on the Himalayan mountain, whose iconic summit straddles the China-Nepal border.
Three others died one day later as the most popular mountain on the planet experienced yet again overcrowded conditions, which made the dangerous climb that much more perilous. An estimated 150 climbers had reportedly attempted to summit the mountain on the same day as Shah-Klorfine and the previous day.
Mount Everest, the world’s tallest peak, has claimed the lives of 311 climbers since 1922. (Photo: Wikipedia)
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A relatively inexperienced climber, Shah-Klorfine reportedly said “save me” to her Sherpa guide as she took her final breath just above the highest camp on Everest, known as the South Col.
Strong winds were said to have combined with the overcrowded conditions on the mountain to make the environment for climbers especially hazardous.
Shah-Klorfine and one of the other climbers who died that day were believed to have suffered exhaustion and altitude sickness, Nepalese officials said at the time.
Several weeks later, the Canadian woman’s body was removed from the mountain and returned to family members.
Since Shah-Klorfine’s death, 82 others, including a sixth Canadian, have perished while attempting to summit Mount Everest, bringing the grim total to 311.
The first recorded deaths on the world’s tallest and most famous mountain were 100 years ago, when seven Nepalese climbers died on June 7, 1922 as part of a British expedition.
For Shah-Klorfine, the climb of Everest was both a return home and the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.
She was born in Kathmandu, Nepal, grew up in India and then moved to Canada to be with her husband and start an import business.
Family and friends said at the time that climbing the world’s tallest mountain had been a lifelong dream for Shah-Klorfine. Since taking a helicopter ride to Everest as a nine-year-old girl with her parents, she had always wanted to return to climb the mountain.
On the day she died, there was a “traffic jam” of climbers on the mountain, according to reports.
Climbers, normally strongly advised to not try for the summit after 11 a.m., were still heading that way as late as 2:30 p.m., a dangerous exercise.
The area above the final camp at the South Col is known as the “death zone” due to the steep and icy slope, hazardous conditions and low oxygen level.
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