More people than ever before have died this year trying to climb Mount Everest, the highest peak at 8,848 meters.

Thousands of climbers flock to the ‘death zone’ in extreme environmental conditions as Nepalese authorities this year issued a ‘record’ number of permits for the March-May climbing season.

At least 12 climbers have died so far, the highest number in eight years, and five others are still missing on the slopes of Everest.

May 2019 was until today the year with the most deaths in years, as 9 climbers lost their lives then.

A few days ago, a Malaysian mountaineer miraculously survived when a Nepalese Sherpa guide brought him down from the top carrying him on his back for 6 whole hours.

Mountaineering is a key source of income for the impoverished country, where around 500,000 are employed in the tourism sector and the number of permits is steadily increasing.

Each climber spends at least $26,700 on an expedition in Nepal, which covers the cost of the permit, necessary supplies, guides and transportation, said Sherpa Ang Tsering of the Nepalese company Asian Trekking.