Brit feared dead as climbers are left stranded on Mount Everest

A British man is feared dead after going missing while climbing Mount Everest.

Dan Paterson, 40, from Wakefield, UK, and his guide, Pastenji Sherpa, 23, have not been heard from since Tuesday (21 May).

While the pair managed to reach the mountain's summit just before 5am on Tuesday, they have not made contact since.

In a GoFundMe set up to raise funds for a specialised search team, Dan's partner Becks Woodhead explained the family are 'mobilising every resource they can'.

It reads: "My name is Becks Woodhead and I am the partner of Dan 'Pat' Paterson. Dan's family and I, urgently need your help.

"Tragically, during his descent, Daniel went missing, and there has been no contact or sighting of him since. Time is of the essence in a situation like this, and we are mobilising every resource we can to locate Dan.

"Conducting a search and rescue operation on Everest is an incredibly complex and costly endeavour. We are not experts in this, and there is no guarantee of success."

The disappearance of Dan and Pastenji appears to have coincided with a landslide of snow and ice on the mountain.

It is believed that a cornice - which is essentially an overhang of hardened snow - may have collapsed.

One woman who reached the summit on 21 May said that it had 'felt different' to her previous experiences of climbing Everest.

Vinayak Malla explained: "After summiting, we crossed the Hillary Step, traffic was moving slowly then suddenly a cornice collapsed a few metres ahead of us. There was also a cornice under us.

"As the cornice collapsed, four climbers nearly perished yet were clipped onto the rope and self-rescued.

"Sadly, two climbers are still missing. We tried to traverse yet it was impossible due to the traffic on the fixed line."

Meanwhile, Lakpa Sherpa, founder of 8K Expeditions - the company in which Dan used - added: "Despite exhaustive search efforts, we regret to confirm that Daniel and Pastenji were unable to be recovered."

Standing at 8,850 meters (29,035 feet), climbing the mountain is not for the faint-hearted.

According to Outside, at least 12 people died climbing Everest last year, with overcrowding often blamed for the number of deaths.

Recently, X user Iain Cameron shared a video taken on 20 May (originally recorded by Rajan Dwivedi) revealing a queue of climbers scrambling through the snow.

In the video, hundreds of climbers can be seen in their red and orange thermals, clinging to the ropes in a queue as they wait to ascend higher up the mountain.

People were shocked to see the number of people trying to reach the summit at one time.

Over on Dan's GoFundMe page, Becks continued: "Dan is not just an adventurer; he is a beloved son, brother, partner, friend and a proud joint owner of Wakefield Crossfit.

"He is known for his adventurous spirit, his kindness, and his unwavering dedication to helping others. Now, it is our turn to help him.

"With his passion for Leeds United, we ask that in light of the upcoming play off final; please help us to find him."

You can donate to help find Dan and Pastenji here.