Greek alpinist Antonios Sykaris dies after scaling Mt Dhaulagiri

Katmandu: Renowned climber from Greece, Antonios Sykaris breathed his last on Nepal's rugged Mount Dhaulagiri— one of the world's highest peaks— while descending from the summit point early this morning, expedition organisers said.  

With Greek climber’s death, Mt Dhaulagiri recorded the first casualty of the climbing season. 

Antonios Sykaris's death came a day after a triumphant Instagram message announcing he had made it to the top of the world's seventh-highest peak.

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Antonios Sykaris (@antonios_sykaris_official)

As per mountain guide Mingma Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks, Sykaris had fallen ill while descending.

Reportedly, the mountaineer died at an altitude of 7,400 metres at 4:00 in the morning Nepal time after a huge physical and mental effort and lack of additional oxygen.

According to his official website, the 59-year-old was an experienced climber who had summited five other mountains higher than 8,000 metres. 

Dhaulagiri's 8,170-metre (26,800-foot) peak was first scaled in 1960 by a Swiss-Austrian team and has since been climbed by hundreds of people.

The spring climbing season begins each April when temperatures warm and winds are typically calm. Which usually attracts hundreds of adventurers each year to Nepal—home to eight of the world's highest peaks.