KATHMANDU: An assistant professor in artificial intelligence at the School of Computer Science and Statistics at Trinity College, Dublin has gone missing near balcony area of the world’s highest mountain when he was descending from the summit point of Mt Everest this afternoon.

Mingma Sherpa, Chairman at Seven Summit Treks, told THT that Seamus Sean Lawless, 39, one of the members of an eight-member expedition led by renowned Irish climber Noel Richard Hanna, went missing after he reportedly fell from an altitude of 8,300 m while descending from the summit.

Seamus, who made it to the summit of Mt Everest early this morning, slipped down below the balcony area in the afternoon, Sherpa quoted fellow climbers as saying from the high camps. “Other climbers have already descended to Camp IV while the status of missing Irish climber is still unknown,” Sherpa said.

Fellow climbers and base camp officials confirmed that Seamus slipped down while descending from the balcony (8,400 m), Sherpa said. “Efforts are underway to search the missing climber,” he added.

Seamus, from Bray, Co Wicklow, had scaled two peaks including Mt Denali last summer to prepare for the Everest ascent. “We are trying to get details about the incident,” Sherpa said.

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