The body of a mountaineer recognised as one of the greatest climbers of the modern era has been brought to Kathmandu after he died while making a solo attempt on a treacherous Himalayan peak.

Tomaz Humar, 40, went missing on the south face of Langtang Lirung, a notoriously dangerous 7,234m (23,700ft) mountain in northern Nepal last week.

A single message was received by his support team on Tuesday, by satellite phone: “I have broken my back and leg . . . I am afraid it will be difficult for a helicopter to locate me. My pulse is weak and I think I am going to die.” Then: “This is my last . . .” before the line was broken.

Humar, who was married with two children, broke his spine in a fall, said Dawa Sherpa, who co-ordinated the rescue effort. He was climbing alone, with no guides or porters. His body was discovered on Saturday, during an aerial search.

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