Filipino climber Philipp “PJ” Santiago II, 45, has died during his attempt to summit Mount Everest, according to a report by The Himalayan Times and confirmation from Nepalese authorities. He is the first foreign fatality of the 2025 Everest climbing season.
Santiago, an engineer and mountaineering enthusiast, passed away after reaching Camp 4—located at approximately 26,000 feet—on May 14, as he prepared for his final ascent to Everest’s 29,031-foot summit. The cause of death remains unknown.
He was part of the Mountaineering Association of Krishnanagar-Snowy Everest Expedition 2025. Efforts are ongoing to retrieve his body and return it to base camp, according to Snowy Horizon Treks Managing Director Bodhraj Bhandari.
Santiago had devoted years to preparing for the climb, including intensive physical training, mountaineering courses, and multiple trips to Nepal. Just days before his death, he survived an avalanche that briefly knocked him unconscious. He was medically cleared to continue after a six-day rest.
In a video posted online, Santiago called the expedition “a climb of a lifetime,” and expressed his childhood dream of reaching Everest’s peak. He also dedicated the effort to causes like Clean Water Philippines and pediatric cancer awareness.
Santiago aimed to become the sixth Filipino to summit Everest. His death adds to the mountain’s long history of fatalities—now totaling 340 climbers since 1921. Camp 4, where he was last seen alive, is located in the perilous “Death Zone,” where oxygen levels are dangerously low and weather conditions extreme.
In response to recent accidents and overcrowding, Nepal’s government now requires Everest aspirants to have scaled a 7,000-meter peak in the country before being granted a permit—a move that has sparked debate among mountaineers.