Ueli Steck: Everest preparation claims 'Swiss Machine' climber

The Swiss climber Ueli Steck has been killed preparing to climb Mount Everest, Nepal's tourist office says.

Steck, who was known as the "Swiss Machine", died in an accident while acclimatising for an attempt on the mountain without oxygen by a new route.

The 40-year-old had won multiple awards and was known for his rapid ascents.

His body has been recovered from the base of Mount Nupste, which shares a common ridge with Everest, after he was spotted by fellow climbers.

"He had an accident on the Nuptse wall and died. It seems



he slipped," Ang Tsering Sherpa, head of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, told news agency AFP.

Steck was preparing to climb Mount Everest using its West Ridge, a route which has been the cause of more deaths than successful ascents, followed by Lhotse, the fourth highest mountain in the world.

It is believed he was alone on Sunday due to his climbing partner contracting severe frostbite.

The body of Swiss climber Ueli Steck arrives at the helipad of Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, 30 April 2017