Body of Japanese climber brought down from Everest

KATMANDU, Nepal – The body of a Japanese climber who died while climbing Mount Everest has arrived in the Nepalese capital.

Takashi Ozaki died on May 12 just several hundred feet (meters) from the summit. He most likely died from altitude sickness, a common cause of death at altitudes where oxygen levels are low and weather conditions extreme.

Pasang, a rescuer, said the 59-year-old's body was carried down from the point where he died to a camp at 21,325 feet (6,500 meters) and then hooked to a helicopter. It arrived Monday at a Katmandu hospital, where family and friends have waited for days.

Ozaki was attempting to reach the 29,035-foot (8,850-meter) summit. He is at least the third climber to die this year while attempting to climb the world's highest peak.