Dharan, Nepal - Nepali officials on Tuesday confirmed the death of a US climber on Mount Everest, the fourth fatality this year on the world's highest peak.

Jonathan Sugarman passed away at Camp 2 on Monday, Yubraj Khatiwada, a spokesperson for the Department of Tourism, told DPA. He was 69.

Sugarman was among the hundreds of climbers acclimatizing at lower camps in preparation for a final push to the summit.

His death marks the fourth fatality on Everest during this spring climbing season, which lasts until the first week of June.

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Last month, three Sherpas were killed after they were hit by an avalanche at Khumbu Icefall.

The number of climbers on Mount Everest has reached an all-time high this season, with a significant rise in the number of Chinese and American climbers.

A total of 466 climbers have obtained permits to climb the peak from the southern side in Nepal as of April 28, according to the Nepali tourism authorities.

Nepal is home to eight of the world's 14 highest peaks above 26,000 feet.