Mumbai, May 6 (PTI) The death of Mumbai-based mountaineer Narayanan Iyer while ascending Mt Kanchenjunga in Nepal was sad and shocking, a federation of trekking groups in Maharashtra said on Friday.

Also Read | Maharashtra Congress Slams BJP; Says ‘326 Sedition Cases Filed in First Term of PM Narendra Modi’.

Iyer, 52, who died on Thursday, had started late but was an avid mountaineer, said Umesh Zirpe, president of the Akhil Maharashtra Giryarohan Mahasangh.

Also Read | Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga Was Kidnapped Not Arrested, Says BJP Leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa.

"Narayanan's death on Kanchenjunga is very sad and shocking news,” the veteran mountaineer said, expressing deep condolences on behalf of the federation.

Iyer was active as mountaineer for more than 15 years and had recently successfully scaled two Himalayan peaks, namely, Island and Manaslu in Nepal, he said.

“He had started late, but was an avid mountaineer,” said Zirpe, adding that Iyer had also done a few treks and expeditions with his group.

Iyer was a resident of Ghatkopar in Mumbai and worked in a private company. He was a bachelor and some of his close relatives live in Pune and Nagpur, he said.

They have learnt that Iyer's body is expected to be retrieved from the mountain within two-three days, Zirpe said.

His close relatives were rushing to Nepal tonight, he added.

Kanchenjunga is one of the toughest eight-thousanders (peaks which are more than 8,000 metres in height) and has a very long summit push, said Zirpe, who himself has scaled the mountain which is located on the border of India and Nepal.

“The importance of hardcore preparation and knowing where to stop on the mountain are key factors while climbing in the death zone,” Zipre said.

Iyer died on Thursday at 8,200 metre altitude, according to Nivesh Karki, executive director of Pioneer Adventure, the organiser of the expedition.

According to the preliminary report, the Indian climber died due to high altitude sickness, some 386 metre below the 8,586 metre high peak.

The climber refused to descend when the organisers "asked him to descend when he fell sick" while scaling the mountain, which led to his death, Karki told PTI.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)