KATHMANDU: German mountaineer Luis Stitzinger’s body was discovered on Kanchenjunga, the third-highest peak in the world, days after he went missing while descending from the top, according to expedition organisers on Wednesday.
Five Nepali searchers discovered Stitzinger’s body on Tuesday at a height of roughly 27,600 feet (8,400 metres) just below the top, according to Mingma Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks.
Sherpa said, “They are lowering his body.”
The 54-year-old German had reached the summit of the 8,586-metre-tall Himalayan mountain on May 25 without supplemental oxygen but then lost contact.
Weather conditions had earlier hampered rescue efforts.
An experienced mountaineer and guide, Stitzinger had previously summitted several other mountains higher than 8,000 metres.
Each spring, when temperatures are moderate and Himalayan winds are normally calm, Nepal, which is home to eight of the world’s ten highest peaks, attracts hundreds of explorers.
Hundreds of climbers have reached peaks as the season comes to an end, and Nepal awarded more than a thousand permits for its mountains this year, including 44 for Kanchenjunga.
With 12 deaths on Everest now verified and five more still unaccounted for, 2023 is on track to set a record for fatalities.
Noel Hanna, a 56-year-old climber from Northern Ireland, passed away on Annapurna, the tenth-highest peak in the world, last month.
