Cheruiyot Kirui: Millions To Cost Deceased Climber's Family In Repatriating His Body From Everest

• Repatriation of mountaineers' bodies from the Everest altitudes tends to be a new ball game for those interested
• The subject interested Kenyans after a compatriot died while striving to summit the Himalayan mountain without carrying emergency oxygen
• Cheruiyot Kirui's body is now lying frozen a few metres from the peak where he was found dead; to retrieve a body would cost millions of the Kenyan shilling

Kai Eli, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

It is a tough balancing act for Cheruiyot Kirui's family and friends to get his body out of Everest and fly it to Nairobi.

Kirui, an accomplished Kenyan mountaineer, met his death in the course of his adventure of summiting the world's highest mountain.

Headache for Kirui's family

He was found dead a few metres from the peak of Mt Everest.

Kirui had scaled 8,000 metres above the Himalayan mountain when he lost his radio communication with the host expedition company.

He was in the company of his sherpa guide.

The headache for the deceased's family and friends is to have his body out of the scene and fly it home.

A close friend of Kirui and a seasoned mountaineer told Daily Nation that going for the body would be a costly yet risky venture.

According to the Daily, owing to the expertise needed, the final repatriation costs could be tens of thousands of dollars which equates to a couple of millions of the Kenyan shilling.

Besides the monetary costs, the lives of those undertaking the recovery ventures are always on the line.

Reports have been archived of climbers who equally met death like their colleagues and kin whose bodies they were going to recover.

Known to be one of the deadliest zones, Mt Everest plays host to many bodies.

Another factor making the recovery daunting is the weight the frozen bodies gain while at high altitudes.

A single body could weigh up to 140 kg, compounding any retrieval attempts.

Owing to the difficulties, there lies over 300 bodies near the summit point of the 8,800-metre mountain.

Prior to the dare-devil adventure, Kirui had expressed scepticism.

In his last post published on Facebook, before the ascension on May 17, he analysed the setbacks that could hamper his adventure.

The extreme sport cost him upward of KSh 7 million in preparation.

Unexciting activities before climbing Everest

Dubbing the post a 'lukewarm update', the banker seemed cynical about the whole climb.

He initially expressed disgust at the lack of enthusiasm and days of inactivity at the base camp.

According to him, the activities there were not inspiring; they were eating, sleeping, watching the weather and a few nearby hikes.

But a few parties here and there to celebrate successful summits brought back the excitement to some extent.

While getting fixated on his plan to scale without supplemental oxygen, Kirui admitted it was a risky business.

He was alive to the fact that most mountaineers who had embraced the no-oxygen challenge did not end it alive.

Still insisting on the climb, Kirui was aware he suffered from High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE), which would be worsened by the ascension to higher altitudes.

He, therefore, armed himself with Nifedipine, which would help relax the heart muscles and blood vessels in the event HAPE visited him during the climb.

At the extreme of the unfavourable conditions, he banked on his sherpa guide who would carry emergency oxygen.

Cheruiyot Kirui's dare-devil climb of Everest

• The Kenyan who set himself up for a no-oxygen challenge began ascending the world's highest mountain on May 17.
• All was well until he scaled 8,000 metres above Everest when he went out of contact while in the company of his Nepalese guide.
• Kenyans prayed for Kirui's safety, but that was negated by the discovery of his body just a few metres near the peak of the mountain.