Irish mountain climber dies after scaling Annapurna peak in Nepal

By Gopal Sharma, Reuters

A mountaineer from Co Down died while descending from the summit of the world’s 10th highest peak and an Indian climber is missing on the same mountain, climbing officials said on Tuesday.

Noel Hanna, who had climbed Mount Everest 10 times, scaled the 8,091 metres Annapurna peak in west Nepal on Monday and died overnight in Camp IV after descending from the peak.

Yubaraj Khatiwada, an official of the Department of Tourism, said the circumstances of Hanna’s death were unclear.

He said an Indian climber, who fell into a crevasse on the lower reaches of Annapurna, has been missing since Monday.

Two other Indian mountaineers, who were caught up in bad weather while climbing Annapurna, were being rescued, hiking company officials said.

A renowned adventurer, Mr Hanna scaled summits and competed in sports adventures around the world. He was the first person from Ireland to reach the summit of K2 during the winter season, and he and his wife successfully summited Everest in 2009 and 2016 from both sides.

Earlier this year he attempted to become the first Irish person to scale the world’s second-highest mountain, K2, in winter but was forced off the mountain due to severe weather.

Annapurna peak in west Nepal, first climbed by Maurice Herzog of France in the early 1950s, is considered dangerous because of the risk of frequent avalanches.

At least 365 people have climbed Annapurna and more than 72 have died on the mountain, according to hiking officials.

Last week, three Nepali sherpa climbers died after being hit by an ice serac on the lower parts of Mount Everest.

Nepal has eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains. Climbing Himalayan peaks and hiking on their foothills are popular adventure sports as well as a source of employment and income for the country which is tucked between China and India.