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Snow on Kangchenjunga (archive image), the third highest mountain in the world at 8586 meters

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© Desmond Boylan / Reuters / REUTERS

The well-known mountaineer Luis Stitzinger from the Allgäu is missing in the Himalayas. The experienced mountain and ski guide is said to have been alone on the third highest mountain in the world at 8586 meters, the Kangchenjunga on the border between India and Nepal. Thaneshwor Guragain, an employee of his Nepalese expedition company Seven Summit Treks, told the dpa news agency. According to the report, Stitzinger only used Sherpas services at the base camp. The last time a local mountaineer from the Sherpa people saw him was last Thursday descending to around 8500 meters.

An employee from the Nepalese Ministry of Tourism confirmed that Stitzinger is missing. The expedition company said it sent a rescue team of four Sherpas. However, it was not able to climb up in the face of bad weather, it was said. In addition, the team does not have its exact location, as Stitzinger's GPS device stopped sending signals during his ascent.

Ascent without bottled oxygen

Luis Stitzinger has already climbed several eight-thousanders and other high mountains, partly with his wife Alix von Melle, who is also a mountaineer. Together they published the book "Passion for Life: Together on the Highest Mountains in the World".

The journalist Stefan Nestler writes in his blog »Abenteuer Berg« that Stitzinger ascended without bottled oxygen. But he had skis with him. However, it is unclear whether he used it as planned to drive down to the highest camp. According to information from Alix von Melle, Stitzinger reached the summit of Kangchenjunga at around 17 p.m. on Thursday, Nestler writes – as the last of a group that stood on the highest point of the mountain that day. Around 21 p.m., Stitzinger is said to have had radio contact with the base camp team of Seven Summit Treks, according to his own information at an altitude of around 8300 meters. After that, she apparently loses track of it.

mbö/dpa