MENDOZA, Argentina, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Search and rescue teams on South America's highest peak continued efforts Sunday to recover the body of a Brazilian climber who died during his descent.
Eduardo Silva, a 40-year-old dentist from Sao Paulo state, died after scaling the summit of the 22,841-foot Mount Aconcagua in western Argentina.
According to Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper, Silva stopped on the way down to rest 600 feet below the summit, apparently having difficultly breathing, a common side effect of high altitude climbing.
Experts speculate he likely died of a pulmonary edema, a condition where the lungs fill with liquid preventing them from absorbing oxygen. Climbers passing the 20,000-foot mark are at greater risk of suffering from the sometimes fatal condition due to less oxygen at higher altitudes.
Accompanying him on the climb was his wife, Rita de Cassia Bragatto, a 35-year-old journalist, who suffered from frostbite and shock and had to be rescued from the mountain.
At least nine people have died while climbing Aconcagua since 2001.
