Everest climber, 82, dies

Photo / Jim Eagles

An 82-year-old former Nepalese Foreign Minister has died on the slopes of Mt Everest while attempting to become the oldest person to climb it.

Shailendra Kumar Upadhyay was returning to the base camp yesterday when he collapsed and died.

He is believed to have died from high-altitude sickness, a common cause of death among mountain climbers.