A Japanese photographer who was part of a documentary crew filming an expedition on Mount Everest died of a heart attack, a Nepalese government official said on Saturday. Kino Hiroaki, 48, who was taking still pictures of the climb, collapsed at Everest base camp on Thursday and was unable to be resuscitated, tourism ministry official Tilak Pandey told AFP.
"His body was airlifted to Kathmandu on Friday," Pandey said. "We have learned that he died from cardiac failure." Tikaram Gurung, of Bochi Bochi Trek, the agency, which organised the expedition, said Kino was part of a five-member film crew. "There were three climbers and the filming team was assigned to make a documentary on the Everest expedition. "The 48-year-old photographer suddenly fainted in the base camp on Thursday afternoon and died within a span of 10 to 15 minutes." His family is expected to arrive in Nepal on Sunday to take his body back to Japan.