The family of the late mountaineer, Joshua Cheruiyot Kirui has made the hard decision to let his body remain on Mt. Everest.
The news of Cheruiyot Kirui went viral last week after he was reported missing while trying to access the summit of Mt Everest. He was later reported dead by Everest Today, a news agency in Nepal.
Kirui had attempted to climb Mt Everest without oxygen, a move that would have made him the first African to do so. Unfortunately, just 48 meters from the summit of the tallest mountain, he was reported missing and later found to be dead.
According to reports, the former Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) employee fell into a crevasse, and retrieving his body is likely to endanger the lives of the rescue team.
According to Wikipedia, a crevasse is a deep crack that forms in ice or glaciers due to movements associated with sheer stress generated when two semi-rigid pieces above a plastic have different movement rates.
Joshua Cheruiyot Kirui Loved Mountains
It is due to the risk involved in retrieving his body that his family had to make the difficult decision of letting Cheruiyot’s body remain on the mountain. The parents say they do not wish to put any lives at risk in the process.
Cheruiyot parents also mentioned how their son loved mountains and how, unfortunately, he died in the mountains. All in all, they found consolation in the fact that he died while doing what he loved most.
“Cheruiyot deeply loved the mountains and they loved him in return. We find solace in knowing he rests in his happy place,” read the statement from his parents.
The parents say they made the difficult decision after wide consultation. In most Kenyan communities, burying a loved one’s body is seen as showing last respect. However, we believe the family made the best decision in this case. May Joshua Cheruiyot Kirui’s rest in eternal peace!
