What is the "death zone" on Mount Everest?

Subrata Ghosh, a 45-year-old climber from India, died just 50 meters below the summit of Mount Everest after reaching the peak on Thursday. He became the second fatality of this year's climbing season.

According to his expedition team, Ghosh showed signs of extreme exhaustion and altitude sickness while descending from the 8,849-meter (29,000 ft) summit — deep within the so-called “death zone”, where the air is too thin to survive for long.

“We are waiting for his guide to return for more details,” said the expedition leader.

Just a day earlier, a Filipino climber from the same team also died while attempting the summit.

So far, over 50 climbers have reached the top this season during a rare weather window. Nepal hosts 8 of the world’s 10 highest mountains, and hundreds of climbers flock there each spring for the chance to stand on top of the world.

Last year, 800+ people reached the summit. Eight died.