KATHMANDU, Nepal — Three more people died Thursday on Mount Everest, as crowds of climbers added to the dangers of attempting to scale the world’s highest peak.

The three died just days after a widely circulated photo showed a long line of climbers extending along a narrow ridge, waiting to reach the 29,029-foot summit and its expansive view of the Himalayas. Two others died on Mount Everest earlier this week.

Expedition operators said the crowding was a result of a record number of permits issued by Nepal and a period of clear weather, which led several groups to push for the summit at once.

Two Indian climbers died Thursday while ascending from the more heavily traversed Nepal side, while another person died on the Tibetan side of the mountain.