British climber who died on Everest had posted about worries over queues before his death

A British climber who died on the slopes of Mount Everest had warned of the dangers of huge queues for the summit just hours before his death.

Robin Haynes Fisher died after reaching the summit of the world’s highest mountain and is believed to be one of ten people to have died on the overcrowded slopes in nine days.

The deaths have sparked concerns over the large numbers of people scaling Everest, with images emerging of large queues up to the summit.

An Instagram post by Mr Fisher, posted shortly before his death, revealed his own fears about the situation and how he had changed his plans to try to avoid crowds.

He wrote: “With a single route to the summit, delays caused by overcrowding could prove fatal so I am hopeful my decision to go for the 25th will mean fewer people. Unless of course everyone else plays the same waiting game.”

In another post, the 44-year-old described having received oxygen training for the so-called ‘death zone’.

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Mr Fisher, who was born in Burton-upon-Trent and lived in Birmingham, has been described as an "aspirational adventurer" who still had many more dreams to fulfil.

A statement from his family said: "He achieved so much in his short life, climbing Mont Blanc, Aconcagua and Everest.

"He was a 'tough guy', triathlete, and marathoner. A champion for vegetarianism, published author, and a cultured theatre-goer, lover of Shakespeare.

"We are deeply saddened by his loss as he still had so many more adventures and dreams to fulfil.”

Mr Fisher and a sherpa reportedly reached the summit of Everest at around 8.30am on Saturday and had descended 150 metres when he fell unconscious and could not be revived.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are in contact with relevant tour operators following reports that British climber has died on Mount Everest and are ready to provide support to the family."

There are 41 teams with a total of 378 climbers, plus an equal number of Nepalese guides helping them, who are permitted to scale the mountain during the spring climbing season in Nepal that begins around March and ends this month.

Irish climber Kevin Hynes, 56, died in his tent at 7,000 metres in the early hours of Friday after turning back before reaching the summit.

The father-of-two was part of a group from UK-based climbing company 360 Expeditions which was attempting to scale the world's highest mountain.

His death comes a week after Trinity College professor Seamus (Shay) Lawless, aged 39 and from Bray, Co Wicklow, fell during his descent from the peak having achieved a lifetime ambition of reaching the summit.

The search for Mr Lawless has been called off.

An American climber, Austrian climber and two Indian climbers are also reported to have died.