Chinese climber feared dead in Himalayas

A Chinese climber is feared dead in the Himalayas after he slipped and fell while descending from the peak of the world's fifth-highest mountain, his trekking company announced yesterday.
Xiangyang Liu, 46, has not been seen since last Tuesday when he was returning to base camp with a fellow Chinese climber and their Sherpa guides after scaling the 8,481-metre Makalu in the Himalayas.
Mingma Sherpa, the owner of the Seven Summits company that organised the expedition, said Xiangyang tumbled down a steep, snow-covered incline from 8,300 metres on the north side of the mountain.
"He and the expedition leader Chunfeng Yang were returning after the successful summit. Four Sherpas searched for him on Wednesday and Thursday.
"We tried to find him by sending a helicopter but it could not land due to the bad weather," Sherpa told AFP. "A week has passed now and the chances of his survival are very slim," he said.