KATHMANDU: With a group of climbers standing atop the world’s tenth highest mountain, Nepal today recorded the first successful summit to the mountain above 8,000 m this spring season. After hours of struggle in the higher camps, at least 10 expedition members along their high-altitude Sherpa workers successfully scaled Mt Annapurna (8,091 m) at around 3:50 pm, Mingma Sherpa, chairman at Seven Summit Treks quoted the climbers as saying. Former Gurkha soldier Nirmal ‘Nims’ Purja among other climbers reached the summit point of Mt Annapurna, which has been considered as one of the most dangerous summits on the planet. By making the first summit on Mt Annapurna, Purja is on his mission to climb the world’s fourteen highest mountains in just seven months. Record holder climber Mingma David Sherpa among other Sherpa climbers accompanied Purja to the summit point, Sherpa added. “We are praying for their safe descent,” he said. At least 31 climbers were on the way to the summit point, he informed. Purja-led team under the ‘Project Possible 14/7 Annapurna Expedition’ includes Tunc Findik of Turkey, women climbers Naoko Watanabe and Yachiyo Suzuki of Japan, Sebastiano Valentini from Italy, Haakon Aasvang of Norway, American climber Donald Allen Bowie Jr, as well as Xin Gu and female climber Xiaodan Gao from China. Interestingly, three officials -- Nabin Kumar Karki from Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Narayan Bhattarai and Keshav Pokhrel from the Department of Tourism -- who were assigned as liaison officers on Mt Annapurna have no idea about the status of their teams as they never left for the mountain from Kathmandu accompanying the world climbers. The Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has issued climbing permits to three expedition teams (two from Seven Summit Treks) for Mt Annapurna by charging USD 1,800 from each foreign climber this season. Another 13-member team of climbers led by French mountaineer Barobian Michel Christian has Chinese climbers including Li Jianhong, Long Jiang, Ren Ruijin, Lu Huajie and He Jing. Baranov Sergey from Russia, Rupert Jones-Warner of UK, Dragan Čeliković of Serbia, Cho Cheol Hee from Korea, Chin Wui Kin from Malaysia, Italian climber Casanova Mario and female climber Lavaud Sophie Marie Therese Jeanne from Switzerland are also part of Barobian-led expedition, Sherpa said. Indian climber Arjun Vajpai, the only member of another expedition handled by Asian Trekking, would, however, attempt to climb Mt Annapurna later this week, expedition organiser said. List of Summiteers: Members:

1. NIRMAL PURJA, Nepal
2. SUZUKI YACHIYO, Japan
3. NAOKO WATANABE, Japan
4. HAAKON AASVANG Norway
5. TUNC FINDIK Turkey
6. DONALD ALLEN BOWIE USA
7. WUI KIN CHIN Malaysia
8. SERGEY BARANOV Russia
9. HE JING China
10. RUIJIN REN China
11. JIANG LONG China
12. SOPHIE MARIE THERESE JEANNE LAVAUD Switzerland
13. JONES-WARNER RUPERT GUY Britain
14. HUAJIE LU China
15. CHO CHEOL HEE Republic of Korea

Climbing Sherpas:

1. DAWA SANGE SHERPA Makalu-9, Sankhuwasabha
2. MINGTEMBA SHERPA Makalu-9, Sankhuwasabha
3. KASANG DAWA SHERPA Makalu-9, Sankhuwasabha
4. GESMAN TAMANG Solududhkunda-8, Solukhumbu
5. PHURBASONAM SHERPA Juving-1, Solukhumbu
6. Mingma GYABU SHERPA Lelep-7, Taplejung
7. TENJI CHHUMBI SHERPA Makalu-4, Sankhuwasabha
8. PASANG DAWA SHERPA Chaurikharka-07, Solukhumbu
9. NGIMA TSHERING SHERPA Khumjung-03, Solukhumbu
10. NGATASHI SHERPA Yafu-09, Sankhuwasabha
11. LAKPA SHERPA Makalu-05, Sankhuwasabha
12. MINGMA THINDUK SHERPA Makalu-05, Sankhuwasabha
13. PEMA CHHUMBI SHERPA Makalu-09, Sankhuwasabha
14. HALUNG DORCHI SHERPA Makalu-05, Sankhuwasabha
15. LAKPA SHERPA Makalu-05, Sankhuwasabha
16. PECHHUMBE SHERPA Makalu-05, Sankhuwasabha
17. GELJE SHERPA Tapting-3, Solukhumbu

Source: Seven Summit Treks (UPDATED) KATHMANDU: A group of climbers including former Gurkha soldier Nirmal ‘Nims’ Purja successfully climbed the world’s tenth highest mountain this afternoon becoming the first team of the season to stand atop the 8,000-metre peak. According to Mingma Sherpa, Chairman at Seven Summit Treks, a team of climbers including Purja, and record holder mountaineer Mingma David Sherpa among others stood atop Mt Annapurna at around 3:50pm. At least 31 world mountaineers were on their way to the summit point, he quoted climbers as saying. Details to follow.