Bad back forces Fiennes to scrap climb just hours from reaching the summit

EXPLORER Sir Ranulph Fiennes has been forced to abandon an attempt to climb the highest peak in South America after being struck down with a bad back.

The 72-year-old was airlifted from Aconcagua in the Andes on Monday when he was overcome with severe back pain, just a few hours from the summit.

Sir Ranulph was scaling the 6,691m (22,838ft) mountain as part of his attempt to become the first person to cross both the polar ice caps and climb the highest mountains on each of the seven continents, a challenge that is raising money for Marie Curie charity, which helps sufferers of terminal illnesses.

Speaking from Mendoza in Argentina, Sir Ranulph said: “I was within a few hours of the summit but problems with my back meant I couldn’t continue. I’m very frustrated but I’ve learnt that at my age you can’t ignore any pain. I’m going to come home to the UK and get my back looked at before I do anything else.”

Sir Ranulph alluded to the physical difficulties his challenge entailed before he set off, saying: “Another obstacle I will face is that things aren’t as they were in the past – the body, with the same amount of training, can’t achieve the same things, so success in this challenge is by no means guaranteed.”

Sir Ranulph is more than half way to completing the Global Reach Challenge for Marie Curie.