Four climbers have been found dead inside a tent on Mount Everest, taking the death toll this season to 10.

The bodies were discovered by a rescue team that was retrieving the body of a Slovak climber who died on the mountain on Sunday.

All the fatalities have occurred in or near the so-called “death zone”, where oxygen levels are extremely low.

Local media reported that the latest deaths were two foreign climbers and two Sherpa guides.

This season has also claimed the lives of an Australian, Francesco Marchetti; an Indian, Ravi Kumar, whose body was found on Monday; and 85-year-old Min Bahadur Sherchan, who died attempting to reclaim his title as the world’s oldest person to reach the top.

World-renowned Swiss climber Ueli Steck also died during an acclimatisation climb at the end of April.

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Meanwhile, a 29-year-old Spaniard is being hailed as having reached the summit in the fastest-ever time, without rope or extra oxygen.

Kilian Jornet reached the top, from the Tibetan side, in just 26 hours, his team said on Tuesday.

The record cannot be verified until he returns.

An Indian woman, Anshu Jamsenpa, is also believed to have set the new woman’s record for the fastest double ascent, having climbed the mountain twice in one week.

She will now have to approach Guinness World Records to register her climbs after they have been certified by Nepal’s ministry of tourism.

More than 382 climbers have successfully reached the summit from the south side so far this season, with at least 120 doing so from the Tibet side, according to Reuters news agency.

The Everest main climbing season is a short window of a few weeks, ending in early June with the arrival of the monsoon. Most climbers head up in May, although there is also a shorter opportunity later in the year.

The deadliest season in the mountain’s history was 2015 when 24 people died, mostly as a result of avalanches. Last year, five people died on Everest itself.

Nepal has issued permits to 371 foreign climbers this season, up from last year’s 281, according to Reuters news agency.

More than 4,000 climbers have scaled the 8,850m (29,035ft) summit, some multiple times. More than 200 have died trying.