Kathmandu, May 19

More than 200 mountaineers scaled the world’s highest peak today after fair weather allowed them to move up from the higher camps.

“At least 120 Nepalis and 82 foreigners made it to the top of Mt Everest successfully on a single day as climbers were allowed to climb the mountain after a closure of around two years following back-to-back disasters,” Gyanendra Shrestha, an official at the Department of Tourism, told this daily over phone from the base camp.

“It was really a busy and crowded day on Mt Everest summit,” he said. High winds had obstructed climbing activities for the last two days.

“However, the weather cleared early this morning, letting the climbers accomplish their mission of standing atop Mt Everest,” he added.

Among the successful summiteers, Ang Dorjee Sherpa of Khumjung reached the summit for the 18th time. Lydia Bradey from New Zealand, the first woman to summit Everest without oxygen, scaled Mt Everest for the fourth time, while Masha Gordon, who hopes to be the fastest woman to complete the Explorers Grand Slam (seven summits and both poles) also climbed the mountain.

Silvia Vasquez Lavado became the first Peruvian woman to scale the peak.

Win Ko Ko and Pyae Phyo Aung became the first climbers to scale Mt Everest from Myanmar.

At least 13 climbers, including six army personnel of an expedition team from the United Arab Emirates, also reached the roof of the world.

Seven members of the Indian Army Everest Massif Expedition led by Lt Col Ranveer Jamwal and eight other foreigners also scaled the peak.

Base camp officials said climbers were returning safely to the lower camps after scaling the mountain.

According to Shrestha, 126 climbers, including 70 Nepali guides, plan to make the summit attempt tomorrow, while 42 mountaineers, including 21 foreigners, have their plans for Saturday.

DoT issued permits to 289 mountaineers of 34 teams to climb Mt Everest along with their over 400 high altitude workers this season.

Till 2014, at least 6,872 summits had been recorded by 4,043 different climbers after Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary became the first to climb the mountain in 1953.

Sherpa, Indian climber killed

KATHMANDU: A climber died while fixing ropes for Mt Lhotse summit on Thursday. Ang Furba Sherpa of Namche, Solukhumbu, died after slipping over the Lhotse Face (8,516 metres).

Elsewhere, an Indian climber died while descending from the summit of Mt Dhaulagiri (8,167m), on Thursday afternoon.

Rajib Bhattacharya, 43, died at Camp III after he complained of snow blindness late in the afternoon. The noted climber was returning from the summit.