Alabama doctor, 50, dies while trying to climb Everest after getting stuck near the summit - just two years after he nearly perished in an avalanche on the mountain

Roland Yearwood's death was confirmed by trek officials on Sunday morning
50-year-old was reportedly in the mountain's 'death zone' at the time he died
Officials said they do not know if Yearwood was on his way up or down mountain
The Alabama physician was lucky to survive while on the mountain in 2015 when it was rocked by a massive avalanche that killed 18 fellow climbers at base camp

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An American man has become the third person to die while trying to climb Mount Everest in the last month.

Roland Yearwood, 50, from Alabama, perished at an altitude of about 27,500 feet in the 'death zone' - an area on the mountain known for having thin air.

'We have confirmation of his death but no other details are known,' Murari Sharma of the Everest Parivas trekking company that sponsored his climb told reporters in Kathmandu.

'It is also unclear if he was on his way up or down from the summit.'

Yearwood was part of a 16-member team led by American climber Dan Mazur that is climbing the normal Southeast Ridge route from the Nepali side of the mountain.

The Alabama physician was lucky to survive two years ago when he was attempting to climb the mountain when it was rocked by a deadly avalanche, according to Alabama.com.

18 people at Everest's base camp died in April 2015 after an earthquake rocked the region, triggering the disaster on the world's highest mountain.

He was married to another doctor in Alabama, Amrita, and has two college-aged daughters.

Yearwood's death comes a day after 26-year-old Indian climber Ravi Kumar went missing in the same area during his descent from the peak.