The “heroic” British climber, 40, and his guide who went missing on Mount Everest when icefall hit their expedition are feared dead after “extensive” searches near the summit failed to find them.

• Daniel Paterson and Pastenji Sherpa have not been heard from since Tuesday

A British climber and his guide who went missing on Everest after being hit by collapsing ice have not been found despite an extensive search, a guide has revealed.

Daniel Paul Paterson, 40, and Pastenji Sherpa, 23, have not been heard from since reaching the summit at around 4.40am local time on Tuesday.

The pair are now feared dead after the ice collapsed and fell on them near the Hillary Step, just below the summit at about 8,800 meters, according to Lapka Sherpa.

The Everest guide said they “heroically” reached the top of the world’s highest peak before disappearing while descending.

“Despite exhaustive search efforts, we regret to confirm that Daniel and Pastenji could not be recovered after the following incident,” he wrote on Facebook.

Paterson’s partner Beck Woodhead vowed to “do everything” to bring him home and yesterday set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for a search and rescue operation.

The research assistant said that her partner “he is known for his adventurous spirit, kindness and unwavering dedication to helping others,” while she launched a plea saying: “Now it’s our turn to help him.”

She described him as a passionate Leeds United fan as well as a “beloved son, brother, partner, friend and a proud co-owner of Wakefield Crossfit”.

The British climber, believed to be from Wakefield, was described by Sherpa Lapka as “known for his robust fitness, uplifting positivity and strong determination”.

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

Sherpa Lapka said his colleague Pastenji was a “dedicated mountaineer since his youth with impressive ascents including twice Mount Everest, K2, Amadablam and several other 6,000m peaks”.

“His warm spirit, kindness and outstanding expertise made him one of the top guides at 8K Expeditions,” he added.

Mr Paterson was also a “devout” mountaineer and had trained in the Himalayas last year.

Mr Paterson, known to his friends as ‘Pat’, shared his experiences on Instagram.

He previously said he was moved when he saw the summit of Everest, telling his followers: “It will always be my dream to conquer this.”

He dedicated his climb to a late friend from Wakefield Crossfield Club and recently announced that members had raised £10,000 for her family.

The fitness enthusiast posted two weeks ago to say he was “looking forward to a peak window”.

Officials said this week that 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.

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.

Earlier this month, Mongolian climbers Usukhjargal Tsedendamba, 53, and Purevsuren Lkhagvajav, 31, went missing on Everest.

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