sherpa

Seven people died in that disaster, including three Italians, two Nepalis, a German and a French climber, Phurba Tenjing Sherpa, from expedition organiser Dreamers Destination, told AFP.

Kanchha Sherpa, the last surviving member of the first expedition to successfully scale the summit of Mount Everest, has died in the Nepali capital Kathmandu, aged 92.

Kanchha Sherpa was the last surviving member of the 1953 expedition that saw Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa become the first to summit the world's highest mountain.

This is highly unusual for October "when we expect the skies to remain clear," said Riten Jangbu Sherpa, a mountain guide, adding that trekkers have been increasingly caught in unexpected extreme weather in recent years.

"Kami Rita Sherpa needs no introduction. He is not just a national climbing hero, but a global symbol of Everest itself," expedition organiser Seven Summit Treks said in a statement.