Climbing season death toll on Mount Everest reaches 10

Kathmandu - A British climber died on Mount Everest on Saturday, bringing the death toll this season on the world's highest peak to 10, officials said.

Robin Haynes Fisher, 44, died early Saturday at 8 700 metres after returning from the summit, said Murari Sharma of Everest Pariwar Treks in Kathmandu.

"He had descended about 150 metres below the summit when he suddenly collapsed. His Sherpa guide tried to rescue him, but he had already died," said Sharma.

On Friday, 56-year-old Irishman Kevin Hynes died in his tent at 7,000 metres after turning back before reaching the summit, UK-based climbing company 360 Expeditions said in a statement.

That same day, Nepalese guide Dhurba Bista, 33, died at the base camp after being airlifted from a higher camp following illness, according to his employer, Anil Bhattarai of Himalayan Ecstasy Treks.

Three Indians - two women and one man - died this week during their descent after scaling the peak, as hundreds of climbers pushed for the summit while taking advantage of this week's weather windows.

Earlier this month, a US climber and an Indian climber also died during their descent from Everest. An Austrian climber died on the Tibetan side of the 8848-metre peak. 

Seamus Lawless, another Irish climber who went missing on May 16, is presumed dead on the mountain.

Babu Sherpa, the managing director of Peak Promotion, said overcrowding had congested the route from Camp IV to the top. 

"There were only short weather windows and everyone was trying to climb at once," he said.

Hundreds of climbers attempt to climb Mount Everest and other Himalayan peaks during the spring climbing season.

Five climbers died on Everest last year.

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