An experienced climber was found dead in the Himalayas yesterday, days after he was injured and became stranded, a mountain rescue company and a close friend said.

Gerold Biner, flight operations manager for respected Swiss firm Air Zermatt, said the body of Slovenian Tomaz Humar was recovered by a three-man rescue team.

"They called me to tell me the rescue mission was over," he said.

Humar (40) last contacted his base on Monday to say that he had been injured while climbing 23,710ft (7,227m) Langtang Lirung.

Viki Groselj, a fellow Slovenian mountaineer and a good friend of Humar, told reporters that Humar had broken his leg and become stranded.

Rescuers in Kathmandu said searches by air and on foot on Tuesday and Wednesday proved fruitless. They said sherpa guides had trekked the snowy slopes where Humar was supposed to be but could not find him.

Heavy snowfalls also forced climbers to postpone searches because of increased avalanche risk.

Humar was climbing a difficult route up Langtang Lirung, which has made rescue efforts even more difficult. Biner said the team "spotted him quite quickly" yesterday.

"He was lower than expected, at 5,600m (18,373ft), not 6,300m (20,669ft)," he added.