World
Mount Everest remains believed to be climber who vanished 100 years ago
A National Geographic documentary team has found on Mount Everest what they believe is the partial remains of a British climber who vanished 100 years ago during a quest to become among the first to summit the world’s tallest mountain.
The organization announced Friday that the expedition found a foot encased in a sock embroidered with “AC Irvine” and a boot that could be that of Andrew “Sandy” Irvine, who disappeared at the age of 22 along with his co-climber, the legendary George Mallory, near Everest’s peak on June 8, 1924.
“It’s the first real evidence of where Sandy ended up,” photographer and director Jimmy Chin told National Geographic. “A lot of theories have been put out there.”
“When someone disappears and there’s no evidence of what happened to them, it can be really challenging for families. And just having some definitive information of where Sandy might’ve ended up is certainly [helpful], and also a big clue for the climbing community as to what happened,” Chin added.
MOUNT EVEREST CLIMBING DUO VANISHES FROM NOTORIOUS AREA OF WORLD’S TALLEST PEAK
A boot found on Mount Everest by a National Geographic documentary team is believed to belong to British climber Andrew Irvine, who vanished 100 years ago on the mountain. (Jimmy Chin/AP/Mount Everest Foundation/Royal Geographical Society via Getty Images)
In his final letter to his wife, Ruth, before he vanished on Mount Everest a century ago, the 37-year-old Mallory tried to ease her worries even as he said his chances of reaching the world’s highest peak were “50 to 1 against us.”
Mallory’s body was found in 1999, but there was no evidence that could point to the two having reached Everest’s summit at 29,032 feet, according to The Associated Press.
The apparent discovery of Irvine’s remains could narrow the search for a Kodak Vest Pocket camera lent to the climbers by expedition member Howard Somervell.
NEPALI GUIDE, UK MOUNTAINEER SURPASS THEIR OWN RECORDS FOR MOST CLIMBS OF MOUNT EVEREST
The members of the 1924 British Mount Everest expedition, in a colorized photograph. Back row, left to right: Andrew Irvine, George Mallory, John de Vars Hazard, Noel E. Odell and expedition doctor, R.W.G. Hingston. Front, left to right: E.O. Shebbeare, Geoffrey Bruce, Dr. T. Howard Somervell and Bentley Beetham. (Capt. J.B. Noel/Royal Geographical Society via Getty Images)
For mountaineers, the AP describes it as the equivalent of the Holy Grail — the possibility of photographic proof that the two did reach the summit, almost three decades before New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay got there on May, 29, 1953.
The sock and boot were found on the Central Rongbuk Glacier below the north face of Mount Everest in September.
Irvine’s family reportedly is volunteering to compare DNA test results with the remains to confirm their identity.
A sock embroidered with “A.C. Irvine” was discovered below the north face of Mount Everest. (Jimmy Chin/National Geographic via AP)
“I have lived with this story since I was a 7-year-old when my father told us about the mystery of Uncle Sandy on Everest,” Irvine’s great-niece and biographer, Julie Summers, told the AP. “When Jimmy told me that he saw the name AC Irvine on the label on the sock inside the boot, I found myself moved to tears. It was and will remain an extraordinary and poignant moment.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
new video loaded: Train Crashes Into Bangkok Traffic, Killing at Least 8 People
By Jorge Mitssunaga
May 16, 2026
World
WHO declares Ebola outbreak in Central Africa a public health emergency after 80 suspected deaths
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The World Health Organization declared an Ebola outbreak in Central Africa an international public health emergency on Sunday after dozens of suspected deaths were reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Uganda.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, does not meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency, the WHO said.
The declaration follows reports of 80 suspected deaths, eight laboratory-confirmed cases and 246 suspected cases as of Saturday across at least three health zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including Bunia, Rwampara and Mongbwalu.
The development comes as global health officials continue monitoring a rare hantavirus outbreak tied to the MV Hondius cruise ship, which left multiple passengers and crew members sick, and caused three deaths.
NEW EBOLA OUTBREAK LEAVES 65 DEAD AS OFFICIALS WARN OF CROSS-BORDER SPREAD
A health worker sprays disinfectant on a colleague after working at an Ebola treatment center in Beni, eastern Congo, on Sept. 9, 2018. (Al-hadji Kudra Maliro/AP)
As of May 13, the WHO said 11 hantavirus cases had been identified in connection with the cruise outbreak, including eight confirmed cases, two probable cases and one inconclusive case.
In neighboring Uganda’s capital, Kampala, the WHO said two apparently unrelated laboratory-confirmed Ebola cases — including one death — were reported Friday and Saturday involving people who had traveled from the DRC.
Another laboratory-confirmed case was reported in the DRC capital of Kinshasa involving a person returning from Ituri province.
Initial tests suggested the outbreak does not involve the Ebola Zaire strain, which caused Congo’s devastating 2018–2020 epidemic that killed more than 1,000 people.
EBOLA OUTBREAK REPORTED IN AFRICAN COUNTRY — HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Health workers wearing protective suits tend to an Ebola victim in an isolation tent in Beni, Congo, on July 13, 2019. (Jerome Delay/AP)
However, unlike Ebola-Zaire strains, there are currently no approved vaccines or therapeutics for the Bundibugyo strain, which the WHO described as making the outbreak “extraordinary.”
The WHO warned the outbreak could be larger than currently reported due to the high positivity rate among initial samples and the growing number of suspected cases.
The outbreak also poses a public health risk to other countries, the WHO said, urging nations to activate emergency-management systems and implement cross-border screening measures.
‘DISEASE X’ HAS KILLED DOZENS IN THE CONGO — HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE MYSTERY ILLNESS
Ambulances parked at Bunia General Referral Hospital following confirmation of an Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo strain in Bunia, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 16, 2026. (REUTERS/Victoire Mukenge)
Ebola is a highly contagious and often fatal disease spread through bodily fluids, including blood, vomit and semen. Symptoms can include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and internal bleeding.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently said Congo has a “strong track record” responding to Ebola outbreaks while announcing the release of $500,000 in emergency funding to support containment efforts.
The WHO said it will convene an emergency committee to review recommendations for how affected countries should respond.
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Health workers dressed in protective gear begin their shift at an Ebola treatment center in Beni, Congo, on July 16, 2019. (Jerome Delay/AP)
The organization did not recommend border closures or travel restrictions.
Congo has now recorded 17 Ebola outbreaks since the virus was first identified in the country in 1976.
Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr and Brittany Miller, along with Reuters, contributed to this report.
Iran to reveal its plan for Strait of Hormuz soon as Israel attacks Lebanon and Gaza, killing and wounding dozens.
Published On 17 May 2026
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