A 57-year-old German mountaineer has died after falling more than 1,500 metres while descending from Ama Dablam, a 6,814-metre Himalayan peak in northeastern Nepal.
The climber, Wolfgang Waschek, had successfully reached the summit on Sunday but disappeared the following morning while preparing to descend from Camp 3.
According to local officials and expedition organisers, Waschek was last seen alive at Camp 3. His guide, Sonam Lama, reportedly asked him to wait with his safety equipment while the guide briefly went to return a sleeping bag.
When Lama returned less than five minutes later, the climber was no longer at the agreed location.
A helicopter and rescue team were immediately mobilised to search the mountain. Waschek was reportedly not wearing crampons, equipment designed to provide traction on icy and snowy terrain.
His body was eventually located at an altitude of around 4,500 metres, approximately 1,700 metres below the camp. Rescue personnel recovered the body and arranged for it to be transported by helicopter to a hospital in Kathmandu for a post-mortem examination.
First Death on Ama Dablam This Season
Ama Dablam is one of Nepal’s most popular climbing destinations and is located in the Solukhumbu district, the same region that includes Mount Everest.
More than 300 climbing permits have reportedly been issued for Ama Dablam during the current autumn climbing season, which runs from September through November.
The incident comes only days after two Japanese climbers died on another mountain in western Nepal. They had gone missing after heavy snowfall in the area, with reports suggesting that a large avalanche may have been responsible for their deaths.
The latest incident once again highlights the dangers faced by mountaine
