40 years after first expedition, Indian Army team scales Mount Everest

A team of Indian Army mountaineers successfully scaled Mount Everest (8,848 meters) on May 27. The team’s achievement is not just a feat of physical endurance but also a historic tribute to the Indian Army’s first Everest expedition in 1985 – exactly 40 years ago.

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The 32-member team, comprising 22 mountaineers, a medical officer, and a nursing assistant, departed from India on April 12 and reached Everest Base Camp on April 23 after a demanding trek through the Khumbu region. A rigorous acclimatisation process followed, and the team spent an extended period at Camp 2 (6,400 meters), braving harsh sub-zero temperatures and extremely high winds before launching their final ascent.

On the evening of May 26, the climbers began their summit push. By 5 am on May 27, all 22 mountaineers – consisting of 3 officers, 6 Junior Commissioned Officers, and 13 Non-Commissioned Officers, supported by 28 Nepali Sherpas – stood triumphantly atop the peak. This feat represents one of the largest team summits of Mount Everest in a single day.

Notably, Havildar Tundup Namgail of 5 Ladakh Scouts reached the summit in an astonishing four hours, showcasing remarkable human endurance. The 22-member team was led by Lt Col Bhanoo Pathak, alongside Maj Mehak Mehta and Maj Anirudh Yadav, under the expert leadership of expedition commander Lt Col Manoj Joshi.