Nepal reopens Mt Everest after earthquake

Kathmandu: A Japanese climber, who lost nine of his fingers to frostbite, will be the first to scale the Mount Everest as Nepal reopened the peak for climbing after the April 25 deadly earthquake which triggered an avalanche killing 18 climbers.

Nobokazu Kuriki, 33, of Tokyo will be climbing the world's highest peak on August 25 from Nepal's side via regular route.

The Department of Tourism under Ministry of Culture Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) has given the permission to climb Mount Everest for the first time after the devastating earthquake of April 25, myrepublica.com reported.

Kuriki will be accompanied by a Japanese photographer Masaru Kadotani till Camp II and four other support staff till Base Camp.

He will make a solo attempt on the 8,850-metre Everest summit along the normal Southeast Ridge route pioneered by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953.

"We are very proud to give the permission to the Japanese team of two who will be climbing the Everest after quake and promoting the message that Everest is open for expedition," said Tourism Minister Kripasur Sherpa.

"I feel very happy to give this permit for the autumn season at a time when the earthquake has caused such loss to our tourism industry," Sherpa said. The Minister said



this will give a positive message about Nepal internationally and I believe it will encourage other visitors to come.

This is the fifth attempt of Kuruki to climb Everest. He had tried twice from Tibet side and twice from Nepal's side.

"I lost my nine fingers in 2012 while attempting to climb Everest but this has not lost my hope. I hope I will be successful this time," he said, adding that he want to promote the message that Nepal is safe and help in the revival of mountain tourism in Nepal.

"Everest has seen tragedies in the last two years, and I want to help Nepal revive its tourism," he said, adding that he intends to summit in mid-September. The autumn season that starts next month is not usually popular among climbers because of extreme cold and shorter days.

The devastating earthquake that struck the Himalayan nation on April 25 killed more than 8,800 people, including scores of climbers and foreign trekkers.

Apart from the Everest avalanche it destroyed the popular Langtang trekking route, raising fears for the immediate future of the important tourism industry, that feeds thousands of people across Nepal.

Mountaineering is a major revenue-earner for Nepal which has eight of the world's 14 peaks over 8,000 metres.