A British climber and his guide are missing on Mount Everest after the ice collapsed and fell during their expedition, according to local reports.
Daniel Paul Paterson, 40, and Pas Tenji Sherpa, 23, have not been heard from since they arrived at the summit around 4:40 a.m. local time on Tuesday, Nepalese officials said.
“A ledge broke and swept some climbers, including Daniel and his guide, towards the Tibet side,” said a member of a team at Everest Base Camp. The times.
The collapse is reported to have occurred on Hillary Step, a nearly vertical rock face just below the summit of the world’s highest peak.
An expedition has been launched to find the men, but hopes are fading that anyone could survive more than a day in an area known as the “death zone” because of its high altitude.
The missing Daniel Paul Paterson, 40, is pictured on May 11 before his ascent to the summit.
Paterson with his partner Beck Woodhead. She said yesterday that she had not heard from him.
Paterson partner Beck Woodhead said yesterday he had not heard from his partner and was waiting to hear from their families.
The fitness enthusiast had dedicated his climb to a late friend from the Wakefield Crossfield Club, which he co-owns, and recently announced that members had raised £10,000 for her family.
A keen climber, he had trained in the Himalayas last year and said he was thrilled when he saw the summit of Everest, telling his followers: “My dream will always be to conquer this.”
A Sherpa from Mr Paterson’s group said today that the expedition had successfully reached the summit, before sharing the news that the two men went missing during the ascent.
“Eyewitnesses reported that the incident took place between Summit Ridge and South Summit and that some climbers were swept away on Kangshung Face,” he said.
‘Our dedicated search and rescue teams are deployed on the ground. They are working tirelessly to locate our missing climbers. “Our thoughts and prayers are with their families during this difficult time.”
The missing were part of a team of 15 members of 8K Expeditions, led by Bolivian climber David Hugo Ayaviri Quispe.
Paterson previously said his dream had always been to “conquer” the summit of Everest.
Mr. Paterson posted two weeks ago that he was “impatiently awaiting an opportunity for the summit.”
Authorities reportedly said that a window of calm weather in recent days has seen an influx of climbers heading to the summit, but that this will close at the end of the week.
It comes after Mongolian climbers Usukhjargal Tsedendamba, 53, and Purevsuren Lkhagvajav, 31, went missing on Everest on May 13.
The couple, who had not relied on Sherpa guides, were found dead a week later in two different locations after reaching the summit.
Paterson, who received the news along with the rest of his team as they prepared for their own expedition, shared a post on his story with the caption “very sad news.”
The British climber’s last post to his Instagram followers was six days ago, when he shared a friend’s good luck post that said he would “be back down in about 6 days.”
The fitness enthusiast had dedicated his climb to a deceased friend from Wakefield Crossfield Club and recently announced the group had raised £10,000 for her family.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said this afternoon: “We are supporting the family of a British man who is missing in Nepal and are in contact with local authorities.”
Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 14 peaks over 8,000 meters (26,246 feet) and welcomes hundreds of adventurers each spring climbing season.
Everest can only be climbed in the short periods of clear weather, when the winds are calm.
This has caused long queues to form on challenging sections, leaving climbers waiting in the bitter cold and depleting their precious oxygen supplies.
As climbers can only reach the summit in short periods of time, queues can form on the mountain, substantially increasing the risk of death.
There has also been concern that some companies are taking inexperienced climbers into the “death zone”, above 8,000m, creating serious risks for themselves and others.
Trackers have recently been introduced that authorities hoped would facilitate the search and rescue of injured climbers.
Before the season, specialized “icefall doctors” establish the climbing route with ropes and ladders, building a route through deep crevasses and constantly moving ice, including the treacherous Khumbu Icefall.
Tragically, in April 2023, three Nepalese climbers died when a block of glacial ice fell and swept them into a crevasse while they were crossing the icefall on a supply mission.