More than 400 atop Mt Everest; Six die

Kathmandu / May 25: Of the total mountaineers of various 34 expeditions teams vying to scale the peak of the highest mountain this spring, more than 400 have made it to the top of Mount Everest, according to the Department of Tourism (DoT).

Mountaineering in Nepal which saw the forced closure for two years due to the twin avalanches in 2014 and 2015 was opened since May 11 this year. Today has been declared as the last day for the expedition for this year.

A total of 1,432 mountaineers from various 97 teams had obtained permit to climb several mountains in the country measuring above 8,000 metres, including the Everest or Sagarmatha standing at 8,848 metres. Of the total 10 highest mountain across the world, Nepal is home to eight of them.

Sudarshan Prasad Dhakal, Director General of DoT told RSS that altogether 100 mountaineers have reached the summit of Mount Annapurna, Mount Manaslu and Mount Makalu among others peaks. “All the expedition teams have started returning back from today,” said DG Dhaka, adding that the details of the successful climbers will be unveiled in a week.

Furthermore, the details of the climbers set out to scale shorter peaks are awaited, according to him.

Six climbers recorded dead

A total of six climbers, including a Nepali national, are reported to have died during this year’s expedition. Of them, the Nepali national is identified as a Sherpa guide while rest others are three Indians, one Australian and a Dutch national, according to DoT. RSS