Mt Dhaulagiri recorded the first casualty of the climbing season as Antonios Sykaris, a renowned climber from Greece, breathed his last while descending from the summit point early this morning, sources from the base camp confirmed.
Antonios Sykaris who fell ill just below the summit point while descending the mountain died at the height of 7,400m, sources said.
The Greek alpinist along with his guide - Dawa Sherpa- scaled the 8,167-metre mountain on Monday.
Being part of an expedition managed by Seven Summit Treks, Antonios had already climbed Mt Everest, Mt Lhotse and Mt Annapurna among others.
Dawa, who helped his fellow climber to descend the mountain for hours, is also waiting for a rescue team near Camp III, sources added.
Seven Summit Treks has already mobilized a team to rescue Dawa and to collect the body of Antonios from the high camp, SST Chairman Mingma Sherpa said, adding that his family has been informed about the incident.
For his part, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis wrote on Facebook:
"Antonis had set as a life goal to conquer all 14 peaks over 8,000 meters and raise the Greek flag. This morning and after stepping on the top of Dhaulagiri he failed to return... I knew Antonis personally. We had discussed what is this irresistible attraction that pushes man to exceed his potential to reach heights where the body reaches its limits."
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