KATHMANDU: A Spanish climber, who illegally embarked on an expedition to a Rolwaling mountain, has been banned from entering to Nepal five years, according to the government official.

The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation imposed a five-year travel ban on David Suela Fernandez, 40, who attempted to climb Chukyima Go peak (6,258m) in the Rolwaling valley in Dolakha district without obtaining a climbing permit from the Department of Tourism, DoT’s director Meera Acharya said.

The ministry took a decision to ban the Spanish climber, whose friend also died while attempting to climb the mountain illegally, following a recommendation from the DoT, she said.

“Fernandez will not be allowed to enter Nepal for five years,” she said, adding that a process to deport him was already initiated.

Fernandez’s climbing partner Luis Felipe Valverde Guzman, 44, died after he fell into a gorge on Saturday. The incident occurred when the duo were climbing the mountain without obtaining climbing permits as well as necessary insurance schemes.

The action was taken to discourage climbers to commit illegal acts on mountains, Acharya said.