Nepalese sherpa feared dead

A Nepalese mountaineer who has climbed Mount Everest 19 times is missing and feared dead in the Himalayas.

Chhewang Nima Sherpa, 43, was fixing ropes for a climbing group high on the 23,400ft (7,129m) Mount Baruntse on Saturday when a large avalanche swept him away.

"It's been so long since he went missing. We fear that he is dead. If he is buried under the snow, there is no way he can survive," Jeeban Ghimire, director of Sherpa Shangri-La Treks, which organised the expedition, said.

"If he is stuck in a crevasse or an isolated place, he is an experienced and trained climber, so we think there is a chance for his survival."

Mr Ghimire said that a second sherpa was working with Mr Chhewang at a height of about 7,045 metres when the avalanche hit.

"Nyima Gyaljen is safe because he was 100 metres below Chhewang," he said. "The avalanche took Chhewang and he has been missing since then. Nyima informed the group at the base camp