By . Julian Gavaghan . PUBLISHED: . 04:40 EST, 21 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 06:52 EST, 21 May 2012 . Three climbers returning from the summit of Mount Everest have died and two others are missing after scores of adventurers attempted the 29,000ft peak over the weekend. German doctor Eberhard Schaaf, 61, Nepalese-Canadian Shriya Shah and South Korean Song Won-bin are all believed to have to have died from a brain swelling triggered by the high altitude. They were among 150 climbers who reached the summit during the weekend after clear weather conditions presented the first opportunity of the year to scale the world’s highest mountain. Trecherous: A storm on Mount Everest, where three climbers died over the weekend . However, a windstorm swept the higher altitudes of the mountain by Saturday afternoon and many climbers became stuck as they waited for it to pass. Gyanendra Shrestha, of Nepal's Mountaineering Department, said: ‘There was a traffic jam on the mountain on Saturday. Climbers were still heading to the summit as late as 2.30pm, which is quite dangerous.’ Climbers are advised to not attempt to reach the summit after 11am. The area above the last camp at South Col is nicknamed the ‘death zone’ because of the steep icy slope, treacherous conditions and low oxygen level. ‘With the traffic jam, climbers had a longer wait for their chance to go up the trail and spent too much time at higher altitude,' Shrestha said. 'Many of them are believed to be carrying limited amount of oxygen not anticipating the extra time spent' The three climbers who died Saturday were believed to have suffered high altitude cerebral oedema. The missing climbers are a Chinese national and his Nepalese Sherpa guide. Feat: Climbers reaching the summit of Everest in 2009 . Among the climbers who succeeded in the treacherous mission was student Mollie Hughes, 21, from Bristol, who has become the youngest woman ever to reach the summit. Her mother was told she was safe after beginning her descent. Her mother Jane Spreckley, from Torbay, Devon, is incredibly proud of her daughter's achievements. She said: ‘We're all beyond proud of Mollie. She's dedicated her life to today and has raised an incredible £2500 for her charity Action Aid. ‘I still haven't managed to speak to Molly but the group radioed to base camp to say they had made it safely. ‘We are extremely relieved to hear everything has gone well and she is fine - we can't wait to hear all about it.’ Weather conditions are clear enough to permit climbing to Everest's 29,035ft peak for only a short time in May. On May 10, 1996, eight people died on what is believed to be the worst day on Everest. The main reason was said to be that climbers who started their ascents late in the day were caught in a snow storm that swept the mountain in the afternoon.
German, Canadian and South Korean die from high altitude brain swelling .
Many started final ascent hours after it is safe due to storm and high number of climbers on first weekend the mountain was open .
Among adventurers was Briton Mollie Hughes, 21, who is youngest woman ever to reach the summit .
By . Julian Gavaghan . PUBLISHED: . 04:40 EST, 21 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 06:52 EST, 21 May 2012 . Three climbers returning from the summit of Mount Everest have died and two others are missing after scores of adventurers attempted the 29,000ft peak over the weekend. German doctor Eberhard Schaaf, 61, Nepalese-Canadian Shriya Shah and South Korean Song Won-bin are all believed to have to have died from a brain swelling triggered by the high altitude. They were among 150 climbers who reached the summit during the weekend after clear weather conditions presented the first opportunity of the year to scale the world’s highest mountain. Trecherous: A storm on Mount Everest, where three climbers died over the weekend . However, a windstorm swept the higher altitudes of the mountain by Saturday afternoon and many climbers became stuck as they waited for it to pass. Gyanendra Shrestha, of Nepal's Mountaineering Department, said: ‘There was a traffic jam on the mountain on Saturday. Climbers were still heading to the summit as late as 2.30pm, which is quite dangerous.’ Climbers are advised to not attempt to reach the summit after 11am. The area above the last camp at South Col is nicknamed the ‘death zone’ because of the steep icy slope, treacherous conditions and low oxygen level. ‘With the traffic jam, climbers had a longer wait for their chance to go up the trail and spent too much time at higher altitude,' Shrestha said. 'Many of them are believed to be carrying limited amount of oxygen not anticipating the extra time spent' The three climbers who died Saturday were believed to have suffered high altitude cerebral oedema. The missing climbers are a Chinese national and his Nepalese Sherpa guide. Feat: Climbers reaching the summit of Everest in 2009 . Among the climbers who succeeded in the treacherous mission was student Mollie Hughes, 21, from Bristol, who has become the youngest woman ever to reach the summit. Her mother was told she was safe after beginning her descent. Her mother Jane Spreckley, from Torbay, Devon, is incredibly proud of her daughter's achievements. She said: ‘We're all beyond proud of Mollie. She's dedicated her life to today and has raised an incredible £2500 for her charity Action Aid. ‘I still haven't managed to speak to Molly but the group radioed to base camp to say they had made it safely. ‘We are extremely relieved to hear everything has gone well and she is fine - we can't wait to hear all about it.’ Weather conditions are clear enough to permit climbing to Everest's 29,035ft peak for only a short time in May. On May 10, 1996, eight people died on what is believed to be the worst day on Everest. The main reason was said to be that climbers who started their ascents late in the day were caught in a snow storm that swept the mountain in the afternoon.
Shah and South Korean Song Won-bin are all swelling triggered by the high altitude. They storm on Mount Everest, where three climbers died the summit of Everest in 2009 . Among the was student Mollie Hughes, 21, from Bristol, who has become the youngest woman ever to reach the the mountain in the afternoon.