Kathmandu: Nepal has commemorated the anniversary of the first ascent of Mount Everest amid a climbing season marred by the highest death toll in four years and a debate on whether the government should limit permits to prevent dangerous overcrowding on the world’s highest peak.
On Wednesday, government officials at an event celebrating New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary’s successful summit, said that there are no plans to cap permits.
A record number were issued this year. Mountaineers described traffic jams caused by exhausted rookies slowing down a climb where delays can be deadly. Eleven people have died on Everest this year, likely due to altitude sickness. (AP)
