An amateur Chinese mountain climber died of altitude disease Tuesday while descending the world's tallest peak, the Mount Qomolangma.

Wu Wenhong, from eastern Jiangsu Province, died at around 4 am at an altitude of 8,750 meters, said sources with a mountaineering association in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.

Wu, 40, reached the peak of Mount Qomolangma at around 10 am Monday, said Nyima Tsering, head of the mountaineering team, in a telephone interview.

It was his first ascent to the top of the peak.

"He was walking slowly towards the top, and the base camp lost contact with him shortly after that," said Nyima Tsering, who was stationed at the 5,200-meter-high base camp of Mount Qomolangma in Tibet's Xigaze Prefecture. "At 3 pm, a guide told us Wu was too sick to move along."

At least three other climbers stayed with Wu, providing him with oxygen and medicine and keeping him warm, said Nyima Tsering.

A rescue effort by helicopter turned futile as it could only reach 6,500 meters.

Wu was climbing with 11 other amateur Chinese mountaineers. All the others have evacuated to safety.

(Xinhua News Agency May 19, 2009)