London, May 24:

British explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes has abandoned his attempt to climb 8848-metre Mount Everest at the age of 64 due to exhaustion.

The British explorer attempted the ascent to the summit despite suffering from heart ailments and prostate cancer but he was forced to turn back and began his descent yesterday night.

The British explorer is best known for his polar expeditions.

The explorer had last tried to climb the tallest peak in the year 2005 but suffered a heart attack as he neared the summit and had to be rushed to a hospital.

The Everest ascent was aimed at raising funds for the Marie Curie Cancer Care foundation to honour his wife and sister.

The two had died of cancer.

But British officials said today that the famous explorer had not been able to complete his ascent of the South Col route from Nepal used by Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand in 1953.