Kathmandu:
The son of fabled Everest climber Ang Rita Sherpa has died attempting to scale the mountain, officials said on Thursday, in the first death of the season on the world's highest peak.
Karsang Namgyal Sherpa, an experienced climber in his own right who had conquered the 8848-metre (29029-foot) peak several times, collapsed at Everest base camp on Wednesday, said trek co-ordinator Dambar Parajuli.
"He was active a few minutes before his death. But at 2.30 pm (0815 GMT) he entered his tent and informed the other Sherpas about his problems," said Parajuli, of the Kathmandu-based Prestige Adventure agency, adding that the probable cause of death was altitude sickness.
Mr Karsang, 40, was the elder of two mountaineering sons of Ang Rita, a 10-time Everest summiteer known in climbing circles as the "Snow Leopard".
Parajuli said Karsang was in a team of 11 climbers, including three Iranians and a German, who had set off on the expedition from Kathmandu on April 10.
He is due to be cremated on Friday.