Octogenarian dies on quest to become world's oldest Everest climber

An 85-year-old man has died in an attempt to regain his title as the world's oldest person to scale Mount Everest.

Nepalese climber Min Bahadur Sherchan died at base camp from a suspected heart attack on Saturday evening.

He is the second climber to die in a week while preparing to climb the world's highest mountain.

Mr Sherchan was trying to break the world record for the oldest climber to scale Everest - a title he seized in 2008 when he was 76 years old.

That record was taken from him by Japanese climber Yuichiro Miura, who reached the summit in 2013 when he was 80 years old.

Before he left for the climb, Mr Sherchan predicted: "I will either come back dead or I will successfully ascend the Mount Everest."

Looking back to his success nine years ago, he said: "I succeeded that time. Now I have the full confidence and with God's will, I once again predict I will come back successfully having scaled the Everest again."

The president of Nepal Mountaineering Association described Mr Sherchan's death as a "great loss for the whole mountaineering community."

His body was flown back to Kathmandu by helicopter, where an autopsy was carried out before a funeral ceremony and cremation.

Nepal does not allow climbers below 16 to attempt the climb, but the country has set no upper age limit.

In light of Mr Sherchan's death, officials are now calling for an upper age limit to be introduced.

Conditions at the 8,850m (29,035ft) summit are notoriously harsh, as there is just a third of the oxygen available at sea level.

Just last week, world-famous mountaineer Ueli Steck - known as the "Swiss Machine" - died after falling 1,000m while training to climb Everest.

And days before, a trekker was found alive after 47 days stranded on a Nepalese mountain, next to the body of his girlfriend who had died three days before rescuers arrived.

Mr Sherchan is survived by a wife, seven children, 17 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.