Renowned Northern Irish climber Noel Hanna has died while descending from the summit of the world's tenth highest peak.
Mr Hanna, who had climbed Mount Everest ten times, scaled the 8,091 metre-high Annapurna peak in west Nepal yesterday.
The 56-year-old died overnight in Camp IV after descending from the peak.
"His body has been brought down and flown to Kathmandu," Mingma Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks said from Annapurna base camp.
Mr Hanna had also climbed the highest point on all seven continents.
Yubaraj Khatiwada, an official of the Department of Tourism, said the circumstances of Mr Hanna’s death were unclear.
He said Indian climber Baljeet Kaur, who fell into a crevasse on the lower reaches of Annapurna yesterday, has been found alive.
DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said: "Devastating news concerning Noel Hanna.
"I had the privilege of meeting Noel and hearing about his mountain climbing exploits, including his conquest of Everest. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and his fellow mountaineers at this sad time."
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 (a block of glacial ice) 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.
'One of our great adventurers'
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
A fellow adventurer and friend of Mr Hanna, Pat Falvey, fellow adventurer and friend of Mr Hanna said that they were celebrating the fact that he had got to the summit.
However, Mr Falvery said that all climbers know it is only halfway there, as Mr Hanna died on his return in an area that was "super dangerous" and known as the "death zone", the most dangerous mountains in the world.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, Mr Falvey said that he knew 40 people who "have given their lives to follow their dreams" but it was still a shock and very sad day.
He added that Mr Hanna was aware and understood the risks, as he was "one of our greatest adventurers".
He noted that climbers not being guided "probably do take extra risks".
Mr Falvey said that, for Mr Hanna, "mountains were his cathedrals".
"That's why we do these things, we know they are dangerous but we still love them," he said.
He extended his sympathy to Lynn Hanna, Mr Hanna's "fantastic wife who was also a climber" and summited Everest.
