The search on Mount Everest for missing Irish climber Seamus Lawless has been called off.

It comes just over a week after the 39-year-old from Bray in Co Wicklow fell while descending from the summit.

A search and recovery operation had resumed earlier this week, but that will now finish up.

His family says a search team made every effort to find Seamus, but the "high altitude and the sheer range of the search area ultimately proved too difficult".

They say they've called off the search rather than risk endangering anyone's life.

A fundraising campaign had raised more than €260,000 from thousands of donors to fund the search operation.

In a statement, the Lawless family said: "This search operation will be paid for out of this fund and the final cost is still not clear. When it is, it is our wish that any amount above the cost of the search will be accordingly refunded to donors and we will work with the GoFundMe team on that.

"Although the search mission was unsuccessful we will never forget the kindness and generosity of people in Ireland and around the world who were moved by this tragedy and who came together to try and help us."

'Inspirational colleague'

Mr Lawless - an Assistant Professor in Artificial Intelligence at Trinity's School of Computer Science and Statistics - had set out on the expedition in a bid to raise funds for Barretstown Children’s Charity, which supports seriously ill children and their families.

In a statement this evening, Trinity officials said they heard today's news "with deep sadness".

They said: "We are mourning the loss of one our rising research stars, an inspirational colleague, and a much loved and valued member of our College community. Shay’s legacy is enormous.

"An expert in Information Retrieval, his peer-reviewed publications, his supervision of cutting-edge doctoral research, and his leadership of internationally acclaimed research projects have transformed the boundaries of the discipline.

"As a colleague and as a friend, Shay’s enthusiasm, his creativity and his approach to his work was inspirational."

Trinity's statement adds that a memorial service in honour of Seamus will be held in the coming weeks.

The news that the search has been called off comes on the same day another Irish climber was confirmed dead on Mount Everest.

Mountaineering group 360 Expeditions confirmed that 56-year-old Kevin Hynes from Galway passed away in his tent in the early hours of this morning, while descending from Everest Camp 3.