Filipino mountaineer dies during Mount Everest quest

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Filipino mountaineer Philipp "PJ" Santiago, who worked as an engineer, is reportedly Mount Everest's first foreign casualty of the season

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino mountaineer Philipp “PJ” Santiago II died on Wednesday, May 14, in his bid to reach the peak of Mount Everest. He was 45.

The Himalayan Times reported that Santiago drew his last breath at Camp 4 while preparing for the summit push of the highest mountain on earth, which measures 29,032 feet above sea level.

Santiago, who worked as an engineer, is Mount Everest’s first foreign casualty of the season, according to The Himalayan Times.

Broadcast journalist Emil Sumangil, a cousin of Santiago, said on Wednesday that the climber was expected to reach the summit on Thursday, May 15.

Santiago died at Camp 4, which sits along the edge of the so-called “death zone” at 26,000 feet where the absence of supplementary oxygen results in the deterioration of bodily functions or death.

“The family respectfully requests privacy as we grieve and process these events. Your understanding, support, and prayers are deeply appreciated,” Sumangil wrote on Facebook.

Santiago, accompanied by his nephew Karl Miguel Santiago who served as base camp support, said before the expedition that he always had the urge to “see the edge and come back and tell my story about it” since he was a child.

“I am your regular blue-collar worker and I identify with the average man’s daily struggle to put food on the table,” the elder Santiago said in a video posted on his Facebook account.

“We are the underdogs. I made a covenant with God to put deeper meaning to this practice of passion, to be a living testament to the power of faith.” 

Santiago also advocated for the access of clean drinking water and the cure of children’s cancer.

“Climbing Mount Everest is very little compared to the battles these little warriors are facing everyday and we aim to give attention and awareness to their plight and for their cause,” said Santiago.

Two more Filipinos, Jeno Panganiban and Miguel Mapalad, attempt to scale Mount Everest as they began their expedition on Wednesday. – Rappler.com