South Korean climber dies in fall on Switzerland's Matterhorn

A 58-year-old South Korean climber has died after falling while descending Switzerland's Matterhorn mountain, local authorities said on Wednesday.

The accident occurred on Sunday as two climbers made their way down the Hörnligrat route on the mountain's north-east face at around 4,000 metres, police said. The cause of the fall remains under investigation.

The climber's companion immediately alerted rescue teams, who were flown in by helicopter but could only confirm the man's death at the scene, according to police.

The Matterhorn is considered one of the deadliest mountains in the world, with hundreds of people having died trying to summit the iconic peak since the first ascent made in 1865.