Haryana's Shivangi Pathak becomes youngest Indian woman to scale Mount Everest, PM Modi calls it 'stupendous'

Shivangi Pathak is not just an ordinary teenager. While many are worried for their exam results, this 16-year-old just made a mountaineering record.

Pathak has now become youngest Indian woman to scale Mount Everest. Her feat was hailed by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Calling it ‘stupendous accomplishment’, PM Modi congratulated Pathak on Twitter. 

Earlier, on May 16, four tribal students from Maharashtra successfully scaled Mount Everest.

They were among 10 students of Ashramshalas (state-run residential schools for tribals) from Chandrapur district, selected for Everest expedition as part of the Tribal Development department's 'Mission Shaurya 2018', state Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar had said.

Umakant Madavi (19), Parmesh Ale (19), Manisha Dhurve (18) and Kavidas Kathmode (18) scaled Everest in the wee hours today. Another two members of the team will attempt the summit in the next two days, Mungantiwar said.

Kavidas and Umakant reached the summit around 3.25 am, while Manisha and Parmesh followed an hour later.

"This is a historic achievement. They have enhanced the pride of their Ashramshala as well as Chandrapur district," Mungantiwar had said.

The team, with members aged between 18 and 21, had left on April 11 from Mumbai for the 60-day expedition.

The selection process had begun in July 2017 with a school-level screening of 60 students, out of which 45 were selected for the foundation training in Wardha.

After further shortlisting, 18 were selected for a mountaineering course at Darjeeling, and 13 of them were sent for advanced training in Leh before selecting the final team. 

Tragedy for Japan

Though India witnessed a successful trekking season this year, things were not that good for Japan. 

A Japanese climber, who lost nine fingertips to frostbite in a previous expedition, died on Monday during an attempt to climb Mount Everest, an official said, the second person to die on the world's highest mountain during the current climbing season.

Nobukazu Kuriki, 36, was found dead while sleeping in a camp 2 tent at 7,400 metres (24,278 feet) on the 8,850-metre (29,035-feet) mountain, tourism department official Gyanendra Shrestha said from base camp.

"Sherpas found his body inside the tent," Shrestha told Reuters. Details of the incident are not immediately available due to poor communication with the higher camp, he said.

Kuriki had made seven unsuccessful attempts to scale Everest.