10 Mountain Climbing Disasters Deadlier Than The Everest Movie
8. Three Brothers Went Up Manaslu, Only One Came Back – 1972
The Mountain: The eighth highest mountain in the world, Manaslu is located in the Nepalese Himalayas forty miles east of Annapurna.
# of Deaths: 15
The Story: By 1972, Manaslu had been scaled multiple times, almost exclusively by Japanese expeditions, first in 1956 and then again in 1971. A South Korean effort in 1971 failed and resulted in the death of the expedition leader Kim Ki-Sup, but the South Koreans returned in early 1972, led by Kim Ki’s brother Kim Ho. He vowed to take the same path Kim Ki had attempted, conquer the mountain and recover his brother’s body. That didn’t work out so well for him.
After reaching the 6500 meter (21,325 ft.) mark, the expedition was blindsided by an avalanche on April 10, killing fifteen climbers, including Kim Ho, three other Koreans, a Japanese mountaineer and 10 Sherpas. One of the only survivors was actually Kim Ki and Kim Ho’s brother Kim Yae.
As Yae later recalled, the trouble began at 3:15 AM when he heard a thunderous noise outside his tent. He barely had enough time to warn the two people sharing the tent with him before the avalanche struck and carried them 800 meters (2,624 feet) downwards. One of Yae’s companions broke his spine on the fall and the other broke his left rib and right shoulder. Then another avalanche hit, fatally burying his two friends and carrying him 300 meters (984 feet) further down. Yae somehow survived three more avalances with just frostbitten feet and fingers, telling Routers, “I think I am a very lucky boy and God is with me.” Of course, God was not with his two brothers.