An Indian climber has died from exhaustion while descending the summit of the world's tallest mountain. Expedition organizers say two of his team-mates are missing, while a fourth person has been rescued.

43-year-old Subash Paul, who climbed the 8,850 meters (29,035 feet) on Saturday, collapsed while descending the Hillary Step ice wall and died the following day. He was among four Indians who lost contact with operators, said Loben Sherpa, a spokesman for Trekking Camp Nepal, which organized their expedition.

Contact was made with Paul and his teammate Sunita Hazra on Sunday, who were helped to descend to Camp 3, but the whereabouts of the remaining two climbers are still unknown. Hiking officials said the chances of finding them alive are slim.

"He (Paul) died while the guides were bringing him down," Sherpa told the news agency Agence France-Presse. "We have sent a helicopter to bring Sunita back," he added.

Up to five deaths

Paul's demise follows the deaths of an Australian woman and a Dutch national since Friday due to altitude sickness in the notorious 'death zone' where the air is so thin that only the fittest can survive without supplementary oxygen.

A rescue team is being organized to retrieve their bodies. Australian university lecturer Maria Strydom died before reaching the summit on Saturday, one day after Dutch climber Eric Ary Arnold perished after attaining the peak.

Favorable weather has allowed nearly 400 climbers to reach the summit from Nepal since May 11, but the altitude, weather and harsh terrain can cause problems at any time.

(DW)