Australian man dies on descent from Everest Base Camp

Australian man dies on descent from Everest Base Camp

A 49-year-old Australian man has died while descending from Mount Everest Base Camp while trekking in the Himalayas, according to a trekking group.

Australian trekker Matthew Paul Jones experienced high altitude sickness close to Base Camp and died on Friday, said Pardip Karki, manager of the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal.

Karki said a post-mortem on Jones' body had been completed and his body would be sent back to Australia once the necessary documentation had been completed with the help of embassy representatives and friends who were trekking with him.

Read also: This 16-year-old Malaysian made his way to Everest, on his own

A spokeswoman for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said they were providing consular assistance to the man's family.

Australian media reported that Jones was from Melbourne and had been an employee with Intel for 16 years.

Everest Base Camp is 5,335 m (17,500 ft) above sea level.

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A university lecturer from Melbourne died from altitude sickness on Mount Everest last year.

The climbing season saw a high number of fatalities in 2016 as climbers flocked to the 8,850-metre (29,035-foot) summit for the first time after an avalanche, triggered by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake, struck Base Camp in 2015.

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