Death zone

The death zone is the name used by mountain climbers for high altitude where there is not enough available oxygen for humans to breathe. This is usually above 8,000 metres (26,247 feet).^[1] Fourteen mountains have peaks that are in the death zone; Those mountains are in Asia, and they are part of the Himalaya and Karakoram.

"People are advised not to stay in the death zone for more than 16 to 20 hours", media said;^[2] Shorter stays can also be deadly.

Most of the 200+ climbers who have died on Mount Everest have died in the death zone.^[1]Due to the inverse relationship of atmospheric pressure to altitude, at the top of Mount Everest the average person takes in about 30% of the oxygen in the oxygen that they would take in at sea level; a normal human person used to breathing air at sea level could only be there for a few minutes before they became unconscious. Most climbers have to carry oxygen bottles to be able to reach the top. Visitors become weak and have inability to think clearly and make decisions, especially under stress. Since helicopters also perform poorly in thin air, many bodies of dead visitors are left on the mountain. Reports suggest that more than 150 of these bodies, older than 30 years, are still lying in the Everest death zone. ^[3]

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Newby, Jonica (18 October 2007). "The Death Zone". Catalyst. ABC TV Science. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
2. ↑ https://www.indiatoday.in/fyi/story/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-everest-death-zone-326029-2016-05-28. Retrieved 24 November 2021
3. ↑ Bold, Himalaya. "Everest".