Four die on Mount Everest

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KATHMANDU, Nepal, May 21 (UPI) -- Four climbers died while descending the southern slope of Mount Everest, officials in Nepal said.

The body of Song Wondin, 44, of South Korea, was spotted by other climbers on the way down the mountain, CNN reported Monday. He had previously been reported missing.

Ebehard Schaaf, 61, of Germany; Sriya Shah, 33, of Canada; and Wen Ryi Ha, 55, of China, also died over the weekend, officials said.

All four had made it to the summit and were descending the mountain.

CNN said Schaaf is believed to have died of high-altitude cerebral edema.

Ang Tshering Sherpa of Asian Trekking, organizer of Schaaf's expedition, said climbers often use up all their energy reaching the summit. "As a result, they become weak and suffer from altitude sickness," Sherpa was quoted as saying.

A tourism official said there were unconfirmed reports of two other missing climbers, one Chinese and the other Nepali, CNN said.