Sawt Falasteen - Austrian climber dies on Nepal mountain

Nepal named the climber as Martin Hornegger, 64, who went missing during his descent on Saturday morning after reaching the summit of the Himalayan peak.

"It is learnt that he fell down while descending, and his body was found on the foot of the peak," said Himal Gautam, director at the Mountaineering and Adventure Tourism Section of the tourism department.

Hornegger had been climbing the 6,812-metre (22,349-foot) Ama Dablam with his daughter and son-in-law through a local agency, officials said.

His body has been taken to the capital Kathmandu.

"The tourism department is consulting with agencies to take the dead body back to his country," Gautam added.

Nepal is home to eight of the world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest, and welcomes hundreds of climbers every year during the spring and autumn climbing seasons.

But the dangerous terrain and extreme weather mean that accidents are common, particularly during the harsh winter.

Scientists have said that climate change spurred by humans burning fossil fuels is making weather events more severe, super-charged by warmer oceans.

Ama Dablam, located in the Khumbu region of eastern Nepal, is a popular training peak for mountaineers preparing for Everest.

M.AlAhmad--SF-PST