|
It
cited a notice on Friday from the General Administration of
Sport, following a severe pandemic situation.
The Himalayan nation of Nepal, which is so short of oxygen
canisters it has asked mountaineers to bring back their empties,
has issued a record 408 permits to climb Everest in the
April-May season after last year's closure.
In contrast, a total of 21 Chinese climbers had secured approval
for climbs in spring, Xinhua added.
Last Sunday, state media said China would establish "a line of
separation" at the summit of Everest to prevent the mingling of
climbers from Nepal and those ascending from the Tibetan side as
a precautionary measure.
Everest has been scaled by more than 6,000 climbers since the
first conquest by Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in
1953. At least 311 people have died on the slopes of the
mountain, which is 8,849 metres (29,032 ft) high.
(Reporting by Luoyan Liu and David Stanway; Editing by Clarence
Fernandez)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
