British climber and Nepali guide feared dead after climbing Everest

A British climber and his Nepali guide are feared dead after being hit by falling ice as they descended from Everest’s summit.

Daniel Paterson, 39, from Wakefield, and guide Pastenji Sherpa, 23, reached the top of the 29,032ft (8,849m) peak on Tuesday as part of a group.

They have not been heard from since.

Adventure company 8K Expeditions said rescuers were unable to find the pair and the chances of finding them alive “was not possible”.

The company, which organised the expedition, said the collapse happened on Hilary Step, a vertical rock face near the summit and that the men “fell down towards the Tibet side through a very vertical steep”.

The company said retrieving their bodies was difficult because rescuers could not access that side of the mountain and helicopters could not be flown there.

The area is understood to be within the so-called ‘death zone’ – the section of the mountain above 8,000m where oxygen levels and air pressure are not sufficient to sustain human life for an extended time.

Mr Paterson, co-owner of Wakefield Crossfit, had been documenting his journey to climb Everest since arriving in the Himalayas in Nepal last month.

His challenge was to help raise money for the family of a gym member, who had recently died from cancer.

An experienced climber, Mr Paterson had previously climbed Ama Dablam, also in the Himalayan range, which stands at 22,525ft (6812m).

In one of his final social media posts on16 May, Mr Paterson said climbing Everest had been his goal “for most of his life”.

He said he had spent the last 18 months preparing for the challenge to summit the mountain.

He added: “One thing I can guarantee is that I won’t be quitting. I don’t get scared much in life but the thing that scares me the most is not achieving this.”

A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who is missing in Nepal and are in touch with local authorities.”

A Romanian climber and a British climber and his Nepalese guide were also found dead on Tuesday, the Himalayan Times reported.