The body of a Kenyan climber who died on Mount Everest last week will remain on the mountain where he died, his family says.
Joshua Cheruiyot Kirui died during a daring mission to reach the summit of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen.
The 40-year-old mountaineer and his Nepalese guide fell into a crevasse about 48 meters below the 8,849-metre peak.
Kirui’s family said retrieving his body from such a high altitude would be too risky for the rescue team.
Climbing Everest, the highest peak in the world, is considered extremely difficult and risky, even for experienced climbers.
Kirui attempted to become the first African to climb Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, accompanied by Nepalese climber Nawang Sherpa.
Nawang is still missing.
In a statement on Wednesday, Kirui’s family said they had made the “difficult” decision to rest his remains on the mountain after wide consultation and “careful consideration of all the circumstances”.
“Retrieving his body from that height would be risky for the rescue team and the family does not want to endanger any life,” it said.
“Cheruiyot had a deep love for the mountains and they loved him in return. We take comfort in knowing he is resting in his happy place,” it added.
However, the family said memorial services would take place in the capital Nairobi and in his village of Chepterit, in the Rift Valley region.
There are also concerns about the cost of collecting his body for burial at home.
It would have cost around $190,000 (£150,000) to retrieve the body and would require around eight people to climb up the mountain to carry out the mission.
Most families who lose their loved ones on Everest prefer to leave them there.
It is estimated that the bodies of nearly 200 of the 330 climbers who died on the world’s highest mountain still lie there.
The climb by Kirui, a banker, was closely followed in Kenya, and fellow climbers had posted regular updates about the attempt online.
Before his fatal climb, Kirui had told the BBC that he had undergone extensive physical preparations ahead of the challenge.
In his latest Instagram post, he had expressed his confidence that he could conquer Everest without supplemental oxygen.
However, he told the BBC that he had emergency oxygen support from Nawang and emergency evacuation cover in case he got into trouble.
Most people climb Everest in April and May, when weather conditions are most favorable.
Four climbers have died so far this season, which ends in a few days.
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