KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian climber has died during an expedition on Mount Denali in Alaska, US.
This was confirmed by Wisma Putra, through the Consulate General of Malaysia in Los Angeles.
It also reported that two other Malaysian climbers on the same expedition have been hospitalised.
In a statement, Wisma Putra said that the Consulate General of Malaysia in Los Angeles has been in touch with the deceased's next-of-kin and is extending consular assistance.
They are also in touch with the local authorities and efforts to bring down the body are ongoing, depending on the weather condition.
The deceased, Zulkifli Yusuf, 37, was reported dead at 6 am local time on May 29 as confirmed by the Alpine Club Malaysia (ACM), the management of the Malaysian climbers group on the mountain.
According to Ayob Yahya, Communication Chief ACM, the two other Malaysian climbers on the same expedition, Zainudin Lot,48, and Illaham Ishak, 48, were successfully brought down and are now in a stable condition at a hospital in Talkeetna, Alaska.
He said the cause of Zulkifli's death is suspected to be high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) hypothermia.
However, he said, to confirm this, a post-mortem examination will be carried out by local medical authorities.
"Zulkifli's body is still at the scene and the process of retrieving the body from the scene may take time as we wait for favorable weather conditions to bring it down from the climbing area," he said.
He said ACM has informed the Malaysian Consulate in Los Angeles about the matter.
Previously, it was reported that two out of three Malaysian climbers on Mount Denali, which is 6,190 meters high, have been stranded near the summit since May 28.
Ishak (one of the climbers) was successfully brought down by rescuers after descending to Camp 5 (4,330 m) from the Denali summit to seek help in rescuing two other stranded climbers.