Nepal celebrates 60 years of first successful Everest ascent

Nepal began a four-day celebration to mark the anniversary of the first successful ascent of Mount Everest, in 1953, officials said Sunday.

Dipendra Poudel, section officer at the Mountain Department, said the celebrations opened with a conference in Khumjung among climbers to address the impact of climate change on the Himalayas.

The events would conclude Wednesday, the 60th anniversary of the ascent by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa.
By Sunday, 515 climbers had been atop Everest this season, taking the total of those who have reached the summit to 4,367.
Nearly 300 people are said to have died trying to scale the world's highest mountain, with six deaths recorded in 2013 alone.