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2 more climbers die on crowded Mount Everest; 6 this season

By Nicholas Sakelaris

May 24 (UPI) -- Two more people have died climbing Mount Everest, raising the death toll this year to six, authorities said.

The pair were among 120 climbers on the world's tallest mountain Thursday.

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Indian climber Nihal Bagwan died on the Nepal side after he was found by Sherpa climbers. He was the leader of a two-member expedition. Austrian climber Ing Landgraf also died

"The 27-year-old [Bagwan] died at Camp IV after he fell ill near balcony area while returning from the summit of Mount Everest," Babu Sherpa, managing director at Peak Promotion Pvt Ltd, told The Himalayan Times.

NBC News reported Kalpana Das, 49, a member of the "Three Women Expedition," also died on the mountain Thursday.

The new deaths follow two on Wednesday -- an American from Utah and Indian hiker Anjali Kulkarni.

Six climbers have died on Mount Everest so far during this busy climbing season. Officials said the high number of climbers has slowed rescue operations.

The Utah man, 55-year-old Don Cash, reached the summit before he died on the descent. He'd completed a goal of reaching the "seven summits," the highest point on every continent.

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Worldwide, there have been 16 deaths on mountains taller than 8,000 meters this season.

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