A Japanese mountaineer with one finger has abandoned his latest attempt to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Nobukazu Kuriki wrote on Facebook that he had been forced to give up on his fifth attempt to reach the top after he realised that if he kept going he "wouldn't be able to come back alive".

Thanking his supporters "from the bottom of his heart" he said: "I left the final camp (7600-6600m) a little after 8pm on 26th for summit push.

"I tried hard taking all my energy, but it took too much time to move in deep deep snow.

"I realised if I kept going, I wouldn't be able to come back alive, so I decided to descend."

I realised if I kept going I wouldn't be able to come back alive

The 33-year-old is the first person to attempt to climb Everest since the devastating earthquake which hit Nepal in April, according to the BBC.

The earthquake killed in excess of 9,000 people, including more than 20 mountaineers as a result of an avalanche.

Mr Kuriki, who prefers to climb alone with minimal gear, lost all of his fingers and one thumb after spending two days stuck in a snow hole on the mountain in 2012.

He reached the final base camp, South Col, on Saturday and was expected to set out to reach the summit at dawn on Sunday.