Kanchha Sherpa, the last surviving member of the first expedition to successfully conquer Mount Everest, has passed away at the age of 92.
He died early on Thursday, October 16, at his home in Kapan, Kathmandu district and his family shared that he had recently become unwell.
Kanchha was 19 when he accompanied the historic 35 members team led by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay to the top of the world's tallest mountain in May 1953.
He was one of three Sherpas to make it past an altitude of 8,000 metres, before the summit with Hillary and Tenzing.
On the difficult trek lasting more than two weeks, he carried food, tents and equipment up to base camp.
Born in 1933 in Namche Bazar, the gateway to Mount Everest, Kanchha began mountaineering when he was 19 and remained active in the expedition sector until 50.
In an interview with the Associated Press in March 2024, he expressed concerns about overcrowding and filth at the world's highest peak, exhorting the need for people to respect the mountain as a goddess.
Notably, Tenzing Norgay died in 1986 and Edmund Hillary died in 2008.
