(Reuters) — A Northern Irish climber has died while descending from the top of the world’s 10th highest peak, while an Indian climber is missing on the same mountain, climbing officials said Tuesday.
Noel Hanna, who had climbed Mount Everest 10 times, climbed the 8,091-meter Annapurna peak in western Nepal on Monday and died overnight at Camp IV after descending from the peak.
Yubaraj Khatiwada, an official with the Department of Tourism, said the circumstances of Hanna’s death were unclear.
This photo shows Noel Hanna in 2008. The climber died while descending Annapurna Peak in western Nepal. (Credit: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images)
He said an Indian climber, who fell into a crevasse at the bottom of Annapurna, has been missing since Monday.
Two other Indian mountaineers, caught in bad weather while climbing Annapurna, were being rescued, trekking company officials said.
Annapurna Peak in western Nepal, first climbed by Maurice Herzog of France in the early 1950s, is considered dangerous due to the risk of frequent avalanches.
At least 365 people have climbed Annapurna and more than 72 have died on the mountain, according to trekking officials.
Last week, three nepali sherpa climbers died after being struck by an ice serac in the lower parts of Mount Everest.
Nepal has eight of the 14 highest mountains in the world. Climbing the peaks of the Himalayas and walking the foothills are popular adventure sports, as well as a source of employment and income for the country that straddles China and India.
