VIJAYAWADA: Four youngsters sponsored by the AP Youth Services Department scaled Mount Everest on Wednesday. Shaik Himamsa from Prakasam district reached the summit at 1.55 am, becoming the first Indian to have climbed the mountain this year, followed by K Raja from Guntur at 3.21 am, Surya Prakash from Nellore at 4.30 am and K A K Rani from Srikakulam at 7.20 am.
Six persons from AP started their journey to the top of the world in April with the assistance of ace mountaineer B Shekar Babu, recipient of Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award.
N Vara Prasad and A N Sarat Varma are expected to summit on May 19. A group of Sherpa guides fixed ropes to the peak on the north side on Monday, paving the way for the first summit of the season. Youth Services Department Special Commissioner G Komal Kishore told TNIE that the programme ‘Mission Everest - AP Youth on Top of the World’ started in 2017 and has since received a lot of praise from the state government.
“The AP government is proud of the youngsters and has congratulated the team. Two others from the team will summit by Saturday based on weather conditions.” she added. The government has given its nod to organising the event the next year too.