Mt Everest "death zone" bodies and trash to be removed by Sherpas

USA Today reports that a team of Sherpa mountain climbers will retrieve bodies and trash from Mount Everest's "death zone."

The team of 20 Sherpas wants to bring down at least five bodies from the trail in the "death zone" - the low oxygen area between the summit (29,029 ft) and South Col (26,240). This area is "treacherous" and around 300 climbers have died there since 1953 says the team leader. They declined to identify the bodies.

The group - all whom have summited the famous mountain - will depart May 1 and set up camp at the South Col.

They also plan to bring empty sacks and fill them with 6,600 pounds of trash - old tents, discarded oxygen canisters, food wrappings, etc. - that have accumulated on the popular mountain throughout the decades.

Garbage discarded on the mountain was a major environmental problem until the Nepalese government imposed strict rules about 15 years ago requiring visitors to return all of their gear and rubbish or risk losing a deposit.

It is unclear how much trash is left on the mountain, but several clean-up expeditions have brought down tons of garbage.

Read the full story: Sherpa team plans to clean Mt Everest's 'death zone'

Photo by Suolang Luobu / AP