A British climber and his Nepali guide are believed to have died after reaching the summit of Mount Everest on Tuesday, according to their guiding company. Dan Paterson, 40, and Pastenji Sherpa, 23, reached the peak just before 5am but have not been heard from since, said Paterson's partner, Becks Woodhead.
A landslide of snow and ice, likely a collapsing cornice, is thought to have dragged climbers down the mountain. Paterson's partner has set up a crowdfunding page to raise £150,000 for search and rescue, which had reached £118,000 by Saturday evening. She said: 'Dan's family and I urgently need your help. Tragically, during his descent, Daniel went missing.'
Lakpa Sherpa, founder of 8K Expeditions, confirmed the pair 'heroically' reached the summit at 4.40am. He added: 'Despite exhaustive search efforts, we regret to confirm that Daniel and Pastenji were unable to be recovered.' The news came amid reports of other deaths: Kenyan climber Joshua Cheruiyot Kirui, 40, was found dead near the summit, and Nepali climber Binod Babu Bastakoti died during descent.
Tuesday was the busiest day of the Everest season, with about 200 climbers attempting to summit. Footage showed long queues on the Hillary Step, increasing risks. Mountaineer Alan Hinkes warned: 'You can only survive for a few hours at that altitude. It's the death zone.'
