A South Korean climber has gone missing on a descent from Mount Everest, according to Korean Embassy officials in Nepal.
Song Won-bin, in his 40s, disappeared while descending between Saturday night and Sunday morning after reaching the South Summit, a Korean Embassy official said.
“(We’re) assuming Song suddenly collapsed from altitude sickness and fell off a cliff,” said the official, who declined to be named.
“We expect to hear the details when Song’s teammates return to base camp in the afternoon.”
It is thought the climber was traversing through the Death Zone, where the altitude exceeds 8,000 meters.
The climber was part of the 2012 Korean Chungnam High School Everest Expedition marking the school’s 50-year anniversary.
About 10 school alumni arrived in Nepal in March and were scheduled to return to Korea later this month after scaling the world’s tallest peak.
Embassy officials said they would discuss search and rescue after assessing the incident.
Since 1990, 20 years after climbing became commercial, more than 60 Koreans have lost their lives in the Himalayas.
By Robert Lee (robert@heraldm.com)
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
