Mountaineer Philipp “PJ” Santiago II, a 45-year-old engineer, has died while pursuing his dream of summiting Mount Everest. He reportedly died at Camp 4, near the so-called “death zone”, on May 14 while preparing for the summit push.
PJ is the first foreign casualty of Mount Everest this climbing season. He was accompanied on the trip by his nephew Karl Miguel Santiago, who served as base camp support.
Before the expedition, PJ said that since childhood, he had dreamed of seeing the "edge" of the world and returning to tell the story. “We are the underdogs,” he said in a video. “I want to give meaning to this passion – as a proof of faith.”
Apart from mountaineering, PJ also aims to raise awareness for clean drinking water and curing childhood cancer. “The fight for children with cancer is even tougher than climbing Everest,” he said.
Also currently climbing are Jeno Panganiban and Miguel Mapalad, two Filipinos who began their Everest expedition that same day.
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