KATHMANDU: A climbing Sherpa was killed when an avalanche struck the world’s 14th highest mountain, Mt Shishapangma, in Tibet on Friday.

According to the RMI Expeditions, he was caught in an avalanche on the mountain (8,027 m).

Gyanendra Sherstha, an official at the Department of Tourism, said that the deceased has been identified as Pemba Sherpa*, a resident of Taplejung district in eastern Nepal.

“The accident occurred below the Camp III as a Sherpa team was moving up,” the US-based expedition firm posted on its web.

The rest of the team members, however, were safe and all team members were spending the night at the CampII, it added.

Climbers including Elias de Andres Martos, Adam Knoff, and Robby Young along with climbing Sherpas had reached Tibet to attempt to climb the mountain.

Earlier, rescuers had failed to find Mingmar Sherpa of Taksindu -6, Solukhumbu who went missing in Himlung Himal in the western Nepal after an avalanche hit the mountain on Tuesday.

Sherpa was a part of an expedition organised by the Kobler & Partner.

*Corrected