British climber and his guide missing from Mount Everest after ‘icefall hits their expedition on the steep Hillary Step on the way down from the summit’

By Elena Salvoni

15:28 22 May 2024, updated 17:21 22 May 2024

A British climber and his guide are missing from Mount Everest after ice collapsed and fell on their expedition, according to local reports.

Daniel Paul Paterson, 40, and Pas Tenji Sherpa, 23, have not been heard from since they reached the summit at about 4:40 a.m. local time on Tuesday, Nepalese officials said.

“A ledge broke and washed several climbers, including Daniel and his guide, towards the Tibet side,” a team member at Everest Base Camp told The Times.

The collapse is said to have occurred at the Hillary Step, a nearly vertical rock face just below the summit of the world’s tallest peak.

An expedition has been launched to find the men, but hopes are fading that anyone could survive more than a day in an area known as the “death zone” because of the high altitude.

Mr Paterson’s partner Beck Woodhead said yesterday she had not heard from her partner and was awaiting word from their families.

The fitness enthusiast dedicated his climb to a late friend at Wakefield Crossfield Club, which he co-owns, and recently announced that members had raised £10,000 for her family.

A keen mountaineer, he trained in the Himalayas last year and said he was moved when he saw the summit of Everest, telling followers: “It will always be my dream to conquer this.”

A Sherpa with Mr Paterson’s group said earlier today that the expedition had successfully reached the summit, before sharing the news that the two men had gone missing during the climb.

“Eyewitnesses reported that the incident took place between Summit Ridge and South Summit and some climbers were taken to Kangshung Face,” he said.

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

The missing men were part of a 15-strong team with 8K Expeditions, led by Bolivian climber David Hugo Ayaviri Quispe.

Mr Paterson posted two weeks ago to say he was “looking forward to a summit window”.

Officials said a window of calm weather in recent days had seen an influx of climbers heading for the summit, but that it would close by the end of the week.

It comes after Mongolian climbers Usukhjargal Tsedendamba, 53, and Purevsuren Lkhagvajav, 31, went missing on Everest on May 13.

The pair, who had not relied on Sherpa guides, were found dead a week later in two different locations after reaching the summit.

Mr Paterson, who received the news with the rest of his team as they prepared for their own expedition, shared a post on his story with the caption “very sad news”.

The British mountaineer’s last post to his Instagram followers was six days ago, when he retweeted a friend’s good luck post, which said he would “be back in six days”.

A Foreign Office spokesman said this afternoon: “We are supporting the family of a British man who is reported missing in Nepal and are liaising with the local authorities.”

Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 14 peaks above 8,000 meters (26,246 feet) and welcomes hundreds of adventurers each spring climbing season.

Everest can only be climbed in short windows of clear weather when the winds are calm.

This resulted in long queues at difficult sections, leaving climbers waiting in the freezing cold and burning through their valuable oxygen reserves.

There have also been concerns that some companies are bringing inexperienced climbers into the “death zone”, above 8,000 metres, creating serious risks for themselves and others.

Trackers were recently introduced that authorities hoped would make it easier to find and rescue injured climbers.

Before the season, specialist ‘icefall doctors’ set up the rope and ladder climbing route, building a route through deep crevasses and constantly moving ice, including the treacherous Khumbu Icefall.

Tragically, in April 2023, three Nepali climbers perished when a block of glacial ice fell and swept them into a crevasse while traversing the icefall on a supply mission.