Shital Raj from Uttarakhand scales Everest

Twenty-three-year-old Shital Raj from Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand Thursday climbed the Everest, the world's highest peak, as part of an expedition named 'Climbing Beyond the Summit: Everest Expedition 2019' which was sponsored by several institutions, according to her coach.

This is the second major achievement of the young mountaineer who climbed the Kanchanjangha on her debut expedition last year.

Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat also congratulated Shital for achieving the rare feat at a young age, saying she has made the state proud.

Shital, who was part of a five-member team, scaled the peak at 6 am, her coach Yogesh Garbiyal, an Everest climber himself, said quoting base camp sources in Nepal.

She had made her debut as a mountaineer by climbing the Kanchanjangha located at a height of 8,586 metres on May 21 last year at the age of 22, making it straight to the record books, her coach said.

She set out on her expedition to the Everest last month with the help of some sponsors, including the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and the Uttarakhand government, Garbiyal said.

"She has added another feather in her cap by climbing the Everest after Kanchanjangha. Her achievements are a matter of pride not only for Uttarakhand but for the whole country," Garbiyal said.