Filipino mountaineer Philipp “PJ” Santiago II died while attempting to climb Mount Everest on May 14, 2025.
The incident occurred at Camp IV, located at 8,000 meters (26,000 feet), during Santiago’s final push to the summit.
Nepal’s Department of Tourism confirmed him as the first foreign fatality on Everest this climbing year.
Santiago, joined the Mountaineering Association of Krishnanagar–Snowy Everest Expedition 2025.
He aimed to become the sixth Filipino to reach the world’s highest peak.
Snowy Horizon Treks, the agency handling his climb, confirmed his death.
Managing Director Bodhraj Bhandari stated that the exact cause remains unknown.
Recovery efforts are ongoing to bring his body down from the high camp.
Before his expedition, Santiago released a video saying he climbed not only for personal achievement but also to support advocacy groups like Clean Water Philippines and children with cancer.
He arrived in Nepal in April with his cousin, Karl Santiago, who joined the expedition support team.
A week before his death, the team faced an avalanche that briefly knocked PJ unconscious.
Despite the incident, Santiago pushed forward with the climb. However, he was later found lifeless at Camp IV.
The Department of Tourism and expedition organizers did not cite foul play.
Santiago’s death highlights the risks climbers face on Everest, especially in the death zone where oxygen levels drop drastically.
Authorities have yet to determine the full cause of death.
His team, along with Nepalese officials, are coordinating recovery operations.
The Filipino mountaineering community mourns his loss.
Efforts continue to improve safety and preparedness for high-altitude expeditions.
Mount Everest lies on the border between Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Its summit marks the boundary line between the two, but the most popular climbing route is through Nepal.
As of 2024, over 330 climbers have died on Mount Everest since the first recorded fatalities in the 1920s. The number increases slightly each climbing season due to extreme conditions such as altitude sickness, avalanches, and falls.
Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa of Nepal, were the first people to successfully reach the summit of Mount Everest and return alive. They accomplished this historic feat on May 29, 1953.
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