FOUR brave climbers have been found dead in their tents on Mount Everest after apparently suffocating on fumes from their gas stove.

The climbers were found overnight in two tents at Camp Four 26,246 feet, by a group of Sherpas, authorities said.

2 Four climbers have died on Mount Everest from gas stove fumes in their tent (file picture showing mountain from West Bengal) Credit: Getty Images

The identities of the four remained unknown as none of the expeditions on the mountain reported any of their members missing and officials said they may have been climbing on their own.

“It is possible that some individual climbers obtained permits and were climbing without much support due to the cost factor,” said a chief Sherpa.

He added: “It was windy and very cold in the mountain yesterday (Tuesday).

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“It appears they died due to suffocation as they must have been using a stove to keep warm inside the tent.”

The four deaths takes the death toll on the world's tallest mountain to ten in the last month.

The Himalayan Times reported that two of the dead were foreigners, but did not give their nationalities.

“It is most likely they died from carbon monoxide poisoning by using their stoves in the tent without proper ventilation,” US climber Alan Arnette, who blogs on Everest.

Climbers pictured within the summit of the iconic mountain (file picture) Credit: Getty Images

The Sherpas who discovered the bodies were on their way to retrieve the remains of Vladimir Strba of Slovakia who died near the 29,035 feet summit over the weekend.

Strba's body has been brought down to Camp Two at 21,000 feet and was expected to be taken to base camp later on Wednesday, Mingma said.

More than 5,000 climbers have scaled Mount Everest since it was first climbed by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953. Nearly 300 have died trying.

Many of the victims remain on the mountain, entombed in snow, as it’s too difficult to bring their bodies down.

This week, it emerged that Everest's rock face named after explorer Hillary has collapsed near the summit.

The 40ft-high Hillary Step is thought to have been severely damaged in the earthquake which devastated Nepal in 2015.

2 The 40ft-high Hillary Step near the summit of Mount Everest has collapsed

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