Concerns are being raised over traffic jams at the summit of Mount Everest as the death toll on the mountain continues to rise.

Galway man Kevin Hynes died in his tent on the mountain on Friday, just a week after Trinity Professor Seamus Lawless from Wicklow went missing.

As many as seven people have died on the mountain this week

Images show hundreds of climbers lining up to try to reach the top of the world's tallest peak.

Everest mountaineer and author Pat Falvey has said that kind of congestion can create lethal conditions for climbers.

"It is creating great danger, I don't know whether there's anything they can do about that - other than to restrict the numbers every year.

"But it is the cash cow for both Nepal and Tibet in relation to getting fees.

"I'm also torn with the fact that should there be restrictions on Mount Everest in numbers?

"Because as long a sits the highest mountain in the world, people will want to ascend it".

He said many things can add to the dangers at high altitude.

"It could be high winds, which zap your energy, it could be running out of oxygen: someone that is sucking oxygen at the level and they have to wait around and the oxygen run out.

"It's like being in the plane and starving the oxygen that's in the plane out of it - you don't last very ;long if you don't have your body fully acclimatised to that particular zone above 8,000 meters".