Nepal issues record climbing permits for Mt. Qomolangma amid pandemic
By IANS| Updated: 25th April 2021 5:54 am IST
Kathmandu, April 25 : Nepali authorities have issued record number of expedition permits for Mt. Qomolangma, defying expectations of reduced number of permit issuance compared to past years amid Covid-19 pandemic.
The Himalayan country issued a record 394 permits for the Mt. Qomolangma, the world’s tallest peak by Friday, which broke the earlier record of 381 permits issued in 2019, according to the Department of Tourism, which issues such permits, Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.
“We had not expected that such a large number of mountaineers would be climbing the Mt. Qomolangma in the middle of the pandemic,” Mira Acharya, director at the mountaineering section of the department told Xinhua on Friday. “This suggests the massive charm of Mt. Qomolangma among the mountaineers as well as their passion towards climbing the mountain despite the risk of the Covid-19.”