By Gopal Sharma
KATHMANDU, May 21 (Reuters) – A record number of 274 climbers scaled Mount Everest on Wednesday, a hiking official said, the highest number ever to reach the world’s tallest peak on the same day from the Nepali side.
The 8,849-metre (29,032 feet) Everest straddles the border between Nepal and the Tibet region of China and can be climbed from both sides.
Expedition operators say there were no climbers on the Tibetan side this year as Chinese authorities had not issued any permits.
Rishi Bhandari, secretary general of the Expedition Operators Association of Nepal, said on Thursday the record compared with the previous highest of 223 ascents from the Nepali side on May 22, 2019.
“This is the highest number of climbers in a single day so far,” Bhandari told Reuters, adding the number could rise as some climbers who had reached the summit might not have informed the base camp about their feat yet.
There are no figures available from China on how many climbers reach the peak, but Bhandari said in the normal climbing season of April and May, about 100 people head to Everest from the Tibetan side.
Department of Tourism official Himal Gautam said he had received preliminary information that more than 250 people climbed the peak on Wednesday.
“We wait for climbers to return, give us photographs and other evidence to prove their ascents and provide them with climbing certificates,” Gautam told Reuters. “Only then we will be able to confirm the numbers.”
Nepal has issued 494 permits to climb Everest this year, each costing $15,000.
Mountaineering experts often criticise Nepal for allowing large numbers of climbers on the mountain which sometimes leads to risky traffic jams or long queues in the so-called “death zone” area below the summit, where the level of natural oxygen is dangerously below what is required for human survival.
Nepal has acknowledged risks from congestion and inexperienced climbers by introducing tighter controls and higher fees.
(Reporting by Gopal Sharma; Editing by YP Rajesh and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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