An 82-year-old former Nepalese foreign minister has died on the slopes of Mount Everest while attempting to become the oldest person to climb the world's highest mountain.

Mountaineering Department official Tilak Pandey says Shailendra Kumar Upadhyay was returning to the base camp Monday evening when he collapsed and died.

He is believed to have died from high-altitude sickness, a common cause of death among mountain climbers.

After being carried back to the base camp, Upadhyay's body was expected to be airlifted to the capital, Katmandu, later Tuesday.

Upadhyay served as Nepal's foreign minister from 1986-90.