China cancels Everest spring climbing over coronavirus worries
FILE PHOTO: Mount Everest, the world highest peak, and other peaks of the Himalayan range are seen through an aircraft window during a mountain flight from Kathmandu, Nepal January 15, 2020. REUTERS/Monika Deupala/File Photo
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China has decided to cancel the 2021 spring climbing season from the Tibetan side of Mount Everest, the world's tallest peak, because of coronavirus concerns, the official Xinhua news agency said on Saturday.
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)
Serious News for Serious Traders! Try StreetInsider.com Premium Free!
You May Also Be Interested In
- OVH Groupe's H1 core profit beats forecasts
- Japan's 7-Eleven convenience chain targets aggressive global growth
- British grocery inflation dips to 3.2%, says Kantar
Create E-mail Alert Related Categories
ReutersSign up for StreetInsider Free!
Receive full access to all new and archived articles, unlimited portfolio tracking, e-mail alerts, custom newswires and RSS feeds - and more!