400 mountaineers trek towards base camp

Kathmandu, April 19.  With spring season on set, some 400 mountaineers have left for the Everest base camp from Namche.

The mountaineers forming 40 groups have so far left the base camp getting registered at Mt Everest Pollution and Control Committee for the Everest.

For climbing three peaks, a same base camp is used by the climbers. Programme Officer at the Control Committee, Kapindra Rai, informed that among summiteers groups, 33 groups with 308 members are heading towards the Everest.

Similarly, six groups with 64 members are set to be atop the Lhotse peak and one group with 11 members is targeting the Nutse peak.

15 female climbers 
As per the statistics maintained by the Tourism Department on permission of climbing peak, 20 Nepalis have taken permission. Among them, 15 are women.

Information Officer at the Department, Ram Prasad Sapkota, said every foreigner needs to pay 11,000 US dollars as royalty while each Nepali pays Rs 75,000 for scaling the Everest.