Hong Kong mountaineer Tsang Yin-hung has recorded the world’s quickest ascent of Everest by a girl with a time of slightly below 26 hours, a Nepal official mentioned Thursday.
Tsang, 44, scaled the 8,848.86-metre (29,031 toes) mountain in a file time of 25 hours and 50 minutes on Sunday, Everest base camp’s authorities liaison officer Gyanendra Shrestha mentioned.
“She left the bottom camp at 1:20 pm on Saturday and reached (the highest at) 3:10 pm the following day,” Shrestha told AFP.
But Tsang still needs to present her claim to officials from Guinness World Records to receive certification of her feat, he added.
Tsang and her expedition organisers, who are now en route to Kathmandu, have yet to comment.
The fastest woman to conquer Everest had been Nepali Phunjo Jhangmu Lama when she completed the climb in 39 hours 6 minutes.
In 2017, Tsang became the first Hong Kong woman to reach the top. It was her third attempt at scaling the Himalayan peak.
Nepal has issued a record 408 Everest permits for this climbing season after last year’s season was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Up to 350 people have summited the mountain so far this spring, the tourism department said, even as the country battles a spike in coronavirus cases.
But at least two teams have said they scrapped expedition plans after some team members tested positive at base camp.
Nepal’s weather forecaster has warned of deteriorating conditions in the area after Cyclone Yaas slammed into eastern India on Wednesday.
Read all of the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News right here
