Body of 85-year-old climber recovered from Everest, cremated
Posted May 07, 2017 7:00 am
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) - The body of an 85-year-old climber who died attempting to regain his title as the oldest person to scale Mount Everest was flown to Kathmandu where family and supporters held a funeral.
The death of Min Bahadur Sherchan has also revived concerns about allowing elderly people to attempt scale mountain peaks where the conditions are harsh and oxygen level low.
Sherchan's body was flown by helicopter to Kathmandu on Sunday, a day after the Nepali died at the Everest base camp.
At a community center, his family, friends and supporters offered flowers and a colorful scarf as Buddhist monks chanted a religious hymn and burnt sandalwood incense.
Sherchan first scaled Everest in May 2008 when he was 76 - at the time becoming the oldest climber to reach the top.
Purna Kumari Sherchan, wife of Nepalese climber Min Bahadur Sherchan cries during her husband's funeral in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, May 7, 2017. The 85-year-old Nepali man died while attempting to regain his title as the oldest person to climb Mount Everest, officials said. Sherchan died at the Everest base camp on Saturday evening. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
The Associated Press
Family members of Nepalese climber Min Bahadur Sherchan mourn during his funeral in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, May 7, 2017. The 85-year-old Nepali man died while attempting to regain his title as the oldest person to climb Mount Everest, officials said. Sherchan died at the Everest base camp on Saturday evening. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
The Associated Press
A family member takes the dead body of Min Bahadur Sherchan for postmortem at Teaching hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, May 7, 2017. Min Bahadur Sherchan died at the Everest base camp on Saturday evening while attempting to regain his title as the oldest person to climb Mount Everest. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
The Associated Press
Family and friends gather to receive the dead body of Min Bahadur Sherchan at Teaching hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, May 7, 2017. Min Bahadur Sherchan died at the Everest base camp on Saturday evening while attempting to regain his title as the oldest person to climb Mount Everest. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
The Associated Press
Family and friends gather to receive the dead body of Min Bahadur Sherchan at Teaching hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, May 7, 2017. Min Bahadur Sherchan died at the Everest base camp on Saturday evening while attempting to regain his title as the oldest person to climb Mount Everest. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this May 31, 2008 file photo, Min Bahadur Sherchan, who became the oldest person to climb Mount Everest on May 25, 2008, smiles upon his arrival in Katmandu, Nepal. Officials say Sherchan who was attempting to scale Mount Everest to regain his title as the oldest person to scale the worldâs highest peak has died at the base camp on Saturday, May 6, 2017, but was not clear about the cause of the death. The grandfather of 17 and great-grandfather of six first scaled Everest in May 2008, when he was 76 and at the time declared the oldest climber. His record was broken by then 80-year-old Japanese Yuichiro Miura in 2013(AP Photo/Binod Joshi, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this April 12, 2017 file photo, Nepalese mountain climber Min Bahadur Sherchan, 85, smiles as he finishes his morning yoga workout at his residence in Kathmandu, Nepal. Officials say Sherchan who was attempting to scale Mount Everest to regain his title as the oldest person to scale the worldâs highest peak has died at the base camp on Saturday, May 6, but was not clear about the cause of the death. The grandfather of 17 and great-grandfather of six first scaled Everest in May 2008, when he was 76 and at the time declared the oldest climber. His record was broken by then 80-year-old Japanese Yuichiro Miura in 2013. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha, File)
The Associated Press
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