Mountaineer dies on way to Mt Everest

Kathmandu, May 6

Nepal’s 86-year-old mountaineer Min Bahadur Sherchan, who was once the oldest climber to scale the Mt Everest, died today at its base camp, leaving his dream to re-conquer the world’s tallest peak unfulfilled.

Sherchan, a former British Gurkha who aimed at reclaiming the crown of oldest climber to ascend the 8,848-meter peak, died at 5:14 pm local time while climbing, the Himalayan Times reported, citing multiple sources at the Mt Everest base camp, which is more than 5,000 metres above sea level.

He had left Kathmandu on April 16 to scale the peak. But the former soldier could not fulfil his dream to regain his lost title of being the oldest climber to scale the Everest.

Sherchan had scaled the Everest at the age of 76 in 2008 and recorded his name in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2010 as the oldest climber. Five years later, his record was broken by an 80-year-old Japanese, Yuichiro Miura. Earlier, Sherchan had made an attempt to scale the Everest in 2015, but could not make it due to avalanches triggered by the great earthquake.

“I may be old in terms of age, but I still have young courage. I will reach the peak of Everest come what may,” he had said. He was climbing the Everest for the cause of the world peace and to protect Earth, besides winning back the record. — PTI