A new controversy about Mt. Everest has erupted.

Last week, a climber died while trying to scale the world's highest mountain. Although deaths on Mt. Everest are not uncommon, what makes last week's events particularly tragic is that 40 people passed by David Sharp without stopping to render help.

Yesterday, Sir Edmund Hillary criticized the climbers for being selfish and not stopping to Sharp, who reportedly was suffering from oxygen deprivation. At the heart of the debate is whether there was anything that could have been done to assist Sharp.

Several news wires have picked up on this story. The actual interview with Sir Edmund Hillary can be found on here on New Zealand's Herald web site.