Over the entire 1996 season , less than 10 people died trying to reach the summit of Everest .
Over the entire season , 12 people died trying to reach the summit , making for the deadliest day and year on Mount Everest prior to the 16 fatalities of the 2014 Mount Everest avalanche and the 18 deaths resulting from avalanches caused by the April 2015 Nepal earthquake .
1996 Mount Everest disaster