A British man and his Nepali guide are believed to be dead after reaching the summit of Mount Everest on Tuesday, a guiding company said.

Dan Paterson, 40, and Pastenji Sherpa, 23, reached the peak just before 5am on Tuesday but have not been heard from since, according to Paterson’s partner, Becks Woodhead.

Paterson’s partner has set up an online crowdfunding page for the search and rescue operation and said that a helicopter and specialised search teams are likely to cost about £150,000. The Go Fund Me site had reached £118,000 on Saturday evening.