Muscat: The first Omani to scale Mount Everest Khalid Al Siyabi, has passed away.

Al Siyabi reached the Everest peak in 2010 after climbing 8848 metres.

Dr Ahmed Al Futaisi, Minister of Transport and Communications said: "We lost Khalid Al-Siyabi, he was a sincere man in his work, and he has remarkable national contributions. We ask God for his mercy and forgiveness."

According to the Deutsch Omanisch Gesellschaft, "In 2009 the IT expert Khalid Al Siyabi was the first Arab to reach the 7145 meters high Mount Pumori, and in 2010 became the first Omani to ascend Mount Everest.

He saw himself as a role model for the youth of Oman, and he said: "There is something missing in the lives of our children today. We need to give them more challenges and the opportunity to solve problems for themselves. Mountains are the perfect environment to do this."

Khalid Al Siyabi worked as a General Manager of Information Technology at Oman Education Portal, then as General Manager of eGovernment Services at Oman ITA and was a member of the Corporate Governance Committee for Oman Vision 2040 and a member of the Scientific Team for Future Prospecting.