Famed Irish Mountaineer Noel Hanna Has Died on a Mountain in Nepal

Fifty-six-year-old Irish mountain climber Noel Hanna, best known for summiting Mount Everest 10 times, died while climbing a mountain in Nepal on April 18, 2023, per the BBC.

A record-breaking mountaineer, in 2018, Noel became the first person from Ireland to successfully summit and descend K2.

Many hiking companies are paying tribute to Hanna, including Mourne Mountain Adventures, which wrote a heartfelt tribute post on social media to the late mountaineer.

What was Noel Hanna's cause of death? Here's what we know.

According to the BBC, Noel Hanna died while he was descending from Annapurna in Nepal, the tenth-highest mountain range in the world.

He had successfully scaled the peak on Monday, April 17, then died in his tent overnight, per Irish publication RTÉ.

There were additional reports via BBC Nepali that Noel's body had been airlifted to the capital, Kathmandu.

Currently, Noel Hanna's cause of death is unclear.

Per The New York Times, officials said he did not have supplemental oxygen while making the climb.

According to CBS News, Annapurna has a higher death rate than Mount Everest due to the higher risk of avalanches and unpredictable climate.

Noel's sister, Irene Hunter, stated to the BBC that her brother "loved a view and he just loved people" and he was "a legend." When asked if Noel's family was aware of the dangers he faced on the mountain, Irene replied, "He didn't really say too much, he didn't want to worry us all." She also noted that Noel's body would be returned to Finnis, Ireland, where he began his climbing career.

Noel's illustrious climbing career has inspired countless others, including Robbie Marsh, a guide in the Mourne Mountains, who told BBC News NI, "I was always at him to write a book, but he was such a humble man. He just normalized climbing 8,000 meter mountains, just like we would do Slieve Donard."

Friends, fans, and family members will mourn Noel's loss.