Indian climber missing after reaching Everest summit

FILE PHOTO: Light illuminates Mount Everest, during the in Solukhumbu District also known as the Everest region, in this picture taken November 30, 2015. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar
FILE PHOTO: Light illuminates Mount Everest, during the in Solukhumbu District also known as the Everest region, in this picture taken November 30, 2015. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

Thomson Reuters

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - An Indian climber went missing while descending the "death zone" after scaling Mount Everest, officials said on Sunday, following the death of two climbers over the past month.

Ravi Kumar, 26, was climbing down from the 8,850 meter (29,035 feet) summit and got separated from his guide near a place called Balcony on Saturday, Thupden Sherpa of the Arun Treks and Expedition company that sponsored Kumar's team said in Kathmandu.

"Three sherpa rescuers have been sent to search for Kumar," Thupden said, adding the climber had been out of contact.

A tourism department official, Gyanendra Shrestha, confirmed Kumar was out of contact.

On April 30, a famed Swiss climber fell to his death near Mount Everest during preparations to climb the world's highest mountain, while an 85-year-old Nepali man died at the base camp earlier this month while trying to set a record for the oldest climber.

Nepal has cleared 371 mountaineers to climb Mount Everest during the current season ending this month.

(Reporting by Gopal Sharma; Editing by Aditi Shah and Mark Potter)

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