Kanchha Sherpa, the last surviving member of the pioneering 1953 Mount Everest expedition, passed away in Kathmandu at 92, according to his family.
As a teenager, Kanchha joined the legendary team led by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, who made history by being the first to reach Everest’s summit.
The exact cause of his death on Thursday morning remains unknown.
“He had been unwell for several days,” his grandson, Tenzing Chogyal Sherpa, shared with AFP.
Born in 1933, Kanchha was only 19 when he joined the expedition as a porter, despite lacking prior climbing experience.
He undertook the challenging journey to Everest’s Base Camp, a trek lasting over two weeks, carrying essential supplies and ascending to over 8,000 meters (26,200 feet) near the summit.
“Kanchha was a living legend and an inspiration to mountaineers and industry professionals,” said Fur Gelje Sherpa, president of Nepal’s mountaineering association. “We’ve lost a guardian.”
Kanchha continued working in the Himalayas for two more decades until his wife urged him to stop after many friends perished on climbing expeditions, his family explained.
