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Journalism of Courage
Traffic jams can be a pretty regular affair for daily commuters. Although irritating, it’s definitely not something that surprises us — unless it’s on the world’s highest peak!
Yes, a picture of a serpentine queue on the edge of Mount Everest is going viral and has people stunned. Captured on the final leg of the journey to the peak, the photo shows a long line of trekkers walking along a precarious cliff waiting to fulfil their dreams. The route was clogged as 250-300 people marched in a single-file, reportedly taking up to three hours to summit.
Shared by British mountaineer Nirmal Purja on Instagram, the viral picture garnered a lot of attention not just on the app but across social media platforms.
The picture has also triggered a debate on the environmental effects such a “traffic jam” could have. Most imagine the Everest to be quiet and secluded from civilisation, but this unusual photo shows the stark reality.
It has also sparked concern regarding the safety of such journeys. According to reports, at least seven climbers died on Everest this week, including three Indians.
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“I have had bottlenecks on mountains before but not this many people at such high altitude,” Purja told New York Times. If the weather had turned, he added, “it could’ve been a real disaster.”
