British climber and guide missing from Mount Everest as another climber is confirmed dead

“Our thoughts and prayers are with their families at this difficult time,” a shipping company said

A British climber and his Nepali guide remain missing after reportedly reaching the summit of Mount Everest on May 21, while a Kenyan adventurer climbing the same mountain has been confirmed dead.

Daniel Paterson, 40, and his guide Pas Tenji Sherpa, 23, disappeared when an ice collapse knocked them down on their way down. The Independent and The daily beast reported.

According to BBC News, 8K Expeditions, an adventure company that organized the expedition, said rescuers were unable to locate the pair, adding that Paterson and the guide “fell into Tibet through a very steep drop”.

In an Instagram post, 8K Expeditions shared about the people missing from the ledge collapse: “Eyewitnesses reported that the incident occurred between Summit Ridge and South Summit, and some climbers were swept up Kangshung Face.”

Related: Climber dies after 2-man team falls 1,000 feet from Alaska Mt.

“Our dedicated search and rescue teams are deployed on the ground,” the statement continued. “They are working tirelessly to find our missing climbers. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families during this difficult time.”

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Paterson, a co-owner of UK-based Wakefield Crossfit, undertook the expedition to raise funds for the family of a gym member who died of cancer, via BBC News.

The disappearance of Paterson and the Sherpa comes as officials confirmed the death of Joshua Cheruiyot Kirui, a Kenyan climber who went missing while trying to scale Everest on Wednesday, according to ABC News. Through Nepal’s Department of Tourism, Kirui’s body was located more than 60 feet below the mountain’s summit.

The tourism department said Kirui’s guide remained missing, The Independent reported.

Related: Solo climber from Japan found dead at 17,000 feet after falling on Alaska’s Mount Denali

According to BBC News, Kirui, 40, was seeking to become the first African to scale Everest without supplemental oxygen.

In his latest Instagram post on May 17, Kirui wrote in part: “My plan… An attempt without oxygen comes with its special preparations and risks, physically my body is ready.”

Himalaya The newspaper reported that Kirui’s guide last spoke to officials at Bishop Rock base camp, saying “Kirui refused to turn back and even consume bottled oxygen, but displayed abnormal behavior.”

Kiriu was a banker at Kenya Commercial Bank, CBS News reported.

“And so, after a heavy investment physically, mentally, in terms of time (this expedition takes more than a month from a typical 8-to-5 banker), financially (the amount of zeros needed for this to happen means I declare bankruptcy immediately I land back in Kenya. )…now is the moment of truth,” Kiriu later wrote in his latest Instagram post.

Related: 1 US climber killed, 1 missing after two avalanches near Mt Tibet summit

Another mountaineer, James Muhia, remembered Kiriu in an X post (formerly Twitter), writing: “I found myself shedding tears this morning after confirmation that my brother @cheruiyot_ak has been laid to rest on Mt. No one can ever understand the heart and mind of a climber. The road that takes us to some places. It’s a sad day. Our brother is now one with the mountain. It will be a difficult time.”

“You’re doing well, my brother,” Muhia concluded.

Conformable Outsidewith the news of Kiriu’s death, the death toll on Mount Everest this year is five.

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