Briton feared dead as climbers remain stranded on Mount Everest

A British man is feared dead after he went missing while climbing Mount Everest.

Dan Paterson, 40, from Wakefield, UK, and his guide Pastenji Sherpa, 23, have not been heard from since Tuesday (May 21).

While the pair managed to reach the top of the mountain just before 5am on Tuesday, they have not been in contact since.

In a GoFundMe set up to raise funds for a specialist search team, Dan’s partner Becks Woodhead explained that the family is “mobilizing every resource they can”.

Dan Paterson and his guide Pastenji Sherpa are missing from Mount Everest. (GoFundMe)

It says: “My name is Becks Woodhead and I am the partner of Dan ‘Pat’ Paterson. Dan’s family and I urgently need your help.

“Tragically, during his descent, Daniel disappeared and there has been no contact or sighting of him since. Time is of the essence in a situation like this and we are mobilizing all the resources we can to locate Dan.

“Running a search and rescue operation on Everest is an incredibly complex and expensive endeavor. We are not experts in this and there is no guarantee of success”.

The disappearance of Dan and Pastenji appears to have coincided with a snow and ice slide on the mountain.

It is believed that a cornice – which is essentially an overhang of hardened snow – may have collapsed.

A woman who reached the summit on May 21 said it “felt different” from her previous experiences climbing Everest.

Dan shared this photo on May 11 before losing contact ten days later on May 21. (Instagram/@danpatwcf)

Vinayak Malla explained: “After the summit, we crossed the Hillary Step, the traffic was moving slowly, then suddenly a cornice collapsed a few meters in front of us. There was also a cornice below us.

“As the cornice collapsed, four climbers nearly died but were caught by the rope and self-rescued.

“Unfortunately, two climbers are still missing. We tried to cross but it was impossible due to traffic on the fixed line.”

Meanwhile, Lakpa Sherpa, founder of 8K Expeditions – the company Dan used – added: “Despite exhaustive search efforts, we regret to confirm that Daniel and Pastenji could not be recovered.”

At 8,850 meters (29,035 feet), climbing the mountain is not for the faint of heart.

According to Outside, at least 12 people died climbing Everest last year, with overcrowding often blamed for the death toll.

Recently, X user Iain Cameron shared a video taken on May 20 (originally recorded by Rajan Dwivedi) that reveals a queue of climbers scurrying through the snow.

In the video, hundreds of climbers can be seen in their red and orange thermals, hanging from ropes in line as they wait to climb higher up the mountain.

People were shocked to see the number of people trying to reach the peak at one time.

On Dan’s GoFundMe page, Becks continued: “Dan is not only an adventurer; he is a beloved son, brother, partner, friend and proud co-owner of Wakefield Crossfit.

“He is known for his adventurous spirit, kindness and unwavering dedication to helping others. Now, it’s our turn to help him.

“Through his passion for Leeds United, we ask this in light of the upcoming play off final; please help us find him.”

You can donate to help find Dan and Pastenji Here.

Featured image credit: Daniel Paterson / Instagram/@malla.mountaineer

Topics: UK News, World News