Twenty Britons among 39 atop Everest summit

May 25, 2007, 10:35 GMT

Kathmandu - Thirty-nine more climbers, 20 from Britain and 19 from Nepal, have successfully reached the summit of the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, the Nepalese government confirmed Friday.

Nepal's tourism ministry said 20 British climbers from five different expedition teams reached the summit of the 8,848-metre-high Mt Everest on Wednesday and Thursday.

The ministry said British climbers Nigel David Hart of Caudwell Extreme Everest Summit Team II, along with Michael P W Grocott, Daniel S Martin, David Mark Rasmussen Christopher H E Imray and Sundeep (one name) of Caudwell Extreme Everest Summit Team I reached the summit on May 23.

Similarly, British climbers of the HG III Everest Expedition Spring 2007 group, Simon Jeremy Hall, Gordon M Clark and Stuart A McDonald reached the summit on May 23.

Members of the same team Michael J Allsop, Rajiv Joshi, James E J. Lancashire, Trevor Jackson, Richard D Porter, Andrew M Wilkinson, Michael E Davey and Anna L Sekhdar reached the summit on 24 May 2007.

The ministry said two Britons of HG II Everest Expedition Spring 2007 also scaled the summit on May 24. The ministry identified them as Victoria F James and Benjamin J Stephens.

Six Sherpa high-altitude guides climbing with HG II Everest expedition also reached the summit, making the ascent their second for the Spring climbing season.

The ministry statement said 'Nepalese guides Ang Namgyel Sherpa, Pasang Dawa Sherpa, Tapchen Lama, Dorjee Gyalgen Sherpa, Lhakpa Wanchu Sherpa, Lhakpa Thundu Sherpa reached the summit of Everest for the second time this season.'

John P Hickey of HG I Everest Expedition Spring 2007 was the lone climber of the team to reach the summit.

The latest confirmation brings the total number of climbers reaching the summit of Everest from the Nepalese side to nearly 150 in the Spring climbing season.

The spring climbing season runs from mid-April to the end of May and with a few more days left more reports of successful ascents are expected to come in. At least four climbers have been confirmed dead on Mt Everest so far this year.