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Indian Army team among more than 150 climbers on top of Everest
Clear weather on Thursday allowed over 150 climbers to successfully reach the top of Mount Everest from the Nepal side after being deterred by two days of heavy winds.
Clear weather on Thursday allowed over 150 climbers to successfully reach atop Mount Everest from the Nepal side, after being deterred by two days of heavy winds.
An Indian Army team led by Lt Col Ranveer Jamwal and six others, who reached the 8,848-metre peak around 6:00 am, were among those successful on a busy day.
“A total of over 150 climbers including foreigners and Sherpa guides reached the summit of the world’s tallest mountain on Thursday,” Nepal tourism department official Gyanendra Shrestha told HT from Everest Base Camp.
Thursday’s ascents come after a break of two days when heavy winds, snowfall and thunderstorm on the mountain had stopped hundreds of climbers from making their summit bids.
There were reports of some congestion on the route due to the high number of climbers pushing for the peak within a space of few hours, but there were no major problems and all teams are on their way down.
“It is among the highest number of ascents on a single day from the Nepal side, since the previous record of 164 in 2013,” said Ang Tshering Sherpa, president of Nepal Mountaineering Association.
Beginning with nine Sherpas reaching the summit of the world’s highest mountain on May 11, a total of 88 climbers, 36 of them foreigners, had successfully scaled the peak till May 16, a record six consecutive days of ascents.
Silvia Vasquez Lavado became the first Peruvian woman to reach the peak on Thursday. Two climbers from Myanmar, Ko Pyae Phyo Aung and Ko Win Ko, also became the first climbers from their country to set foot on the top.
Dozens of climbers and Sherpa guides from teams belonging to Adventure Consultants, Madison Mountaineering, Seven Summit Treks, Altitude Junkies, Ascent Himalaya and High Adventure Expeditions also reached the peak.
Over 240 climbers have successfully scaled the peak this season after two disastrous years, which saw no climbers reaching the summit. Nearly 200 more climbers are expected to push for the top within the next few days.
Climbing on Everest came to a halt in 2014 after 16 Sherpas were killed in an avalanche. There were no summit bids in 2015 as well when another avalanche triggered by the April 25 earthquake claimed 19 lives.
