Climber, 85, dies in record attempt

KATHMANDU, Nepal - An 85-year-old Nepali man has died while attempting to regain his title as the oldest person to climb Qomolangma, known in the West as Mount Everest, officials said.

Min Bahadur Sherchan died at Qomolangma base camp on Saturday evening. The cause of death was not immediately clear, but the expedition organizer said Sherchan died of altitude sickness rather than a heart attack, which had been reported earlier.

Sherchan, a grandfather of 17 and great-grandfather to six, first scaled the 8,850-meter Qomolangma in May 2008 when he was 76, becoming the oldest climber to reach the top.