Indian Army mountaineering team scales Mt Everest

An Indian Army mountaineering team led by an officer belonging to Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday scaled Mount Everest.

Colonel S D Goswami, spokesman of army's Udhampur-headquarter Northern Command told IANS in winter capital Jammu on Thursday: "Indian Army Mountaineering team scaled Mount Everest today at 6.07 a.m. in spite of inclement weather conditions after a hiatus of two years following the Nepal earthquake.

"The team was led by Lieutenant Colonel Ranveer Jamwal who belongs to Jammu district of J&K.

"The team included one officer, one junior commissioned officer (JCO) and five other ranks," he said.

Army Chief General Dalbir Singh has congratulated the team.

The team, led by Lt Col Jamwal, a reputed climber, was at the Everest base camp last year when a 7.9 magnitude earthquake stuck Nepal on 25 April, 2015.

In 2015, following the Nepal quake, an avalanche had struck the Everest Base Camp from Mount Pumori destroying camps of many expedition teams, killing 22 international climbers and local sherpas, and injuring more than 70, some of whom were critical due to severe head injuries.

The Indian Army's Everest Expedition Camp was also in the path of the avalanche, but its members were safe.

The team had immediately taken control of the situation by regrouping and started helping in rescue operations by providing stretcher bearers, as well as providing shelter and rations to those in need.

As various agencies gradually moved their mountaineers down, the Indian Army team was the last to leave Everest Base Camp.