Singaporean climber dies on Nepal's Mount Manaslu

A Singaporean climber died on Thursday on Nepal's Mount Manaslu, the world's eighth highest peak, expedition organisers said.

The 50-year-old mountaineer felt unwell as he was descending from Camp II after an acclimatisation rotation.

"He passed away this morning, arrangements have been made to airlift his body," Pemba Sherpa of 8K Expeditions told AFP.

This season, 480 climbers are attempting to reach the summit of the 8,163-metre (26,781-feet) high mountain in Nepal.

This month, a 20-year-old Nepali porter was found dead in his tent at the mountain's base camp.

The Singaporean climber was the first foreign fatality of the autumn climbing season.

Autumn expeditions on the Himalayas are less popular because of the shorter, colder days, snowy terrain and a narrow summit window compared to the busy spring.

Nepal has issued 536 permits for nine peaks, a little over a half of the total permits issued in spring.

Nepal is home to eight of the world's 14 highest peaks and foreign climbers that flock to its mountains are a major source of revenue for the country.

Fears for the industry rose after a devastating flood hit Nepal late August, but expedition organisers say most climbers have not cancelled their expeditions.