Nepal has hit back at accusations that poor management has contributed to a spike in climber deaths on Mount Everest.
This season has seen 11 deaths which have been blamed on ‘overcrowding.’
British climber Robin Haynes Fisher, 44, died just after reaching the summit on Saturday, and Irishman Kevin Hynes, died at 7,000 metres altitude a day earlier.
American Christopher John Kulish was the latest to die on Monday.
Last week an Australian man was rescued by local sherpas and was brought down to base camp in a critical condition.
He is now expected to make a full recovery.
Nepal tourism department’s director general Dandu Raj Ghimire offered ‘heartfelt condolences to those who’ve passed away and prayers to those who are still missing.’
"Mountaineering in the Himalayas is in itself an adventurous, complex and sensitive issue requiring full awareness yet tragic accidents are unavoidable," he said.
He said 381 people had climbed Everest, but due to fast changing severe weather, the number of people stuck on routes had been ‘higher than expected,’ leading to ‘gridlock’ in some cases.
Many climbers have complained of overcrowding on the slopes, and Haynes Fisher was also reportedly critical of the numbers on the mountain shortly before he died.
To highlight the problem, Canadian film-maker Elia Saikaly posted a photo of climbers, walking just metres away from the body of a dead climber.
