Burmese mountaineers Pyae Phyo Aung and Win Ko Ko summited Mount Everest on Thursday morning, becoming the first Burmese nationals to accomplish the feat.
The two climbers, from the Technical Climbing Club of Myanmar group, left the nearest base camp on Sunday and ascended toward the 29,000-foot summit. More than 3,000 people are believed to have successfully climbed the world’s tallest mountain, but none has been Burmese.
Pyae Phyo Aung confirmed the successful attempt during a call with tycoon Tay Za, chairman of the Htoo Foundation, which financed the climb.
“We reached the summit at 7:07 a.m., planted the Myanmar flag and the Htoo Foundation flag and will climb back down today,” he told Tay Za.
A trio of Burmese climbers began the expedition in late March and was joined by three Brazilian climbers in Nepal. The third Burmese climber, Nyi Nyi Aung, was unable to summit and stayed at base camp for support.
In 2014, five mountaineers from the Htoo Group attempted the climb but were forced to abandon their ascent at base camp due to an avalanche.
Tay Za expressed pride in the climbers on his Facebook page and wished them a safe return.
The Burmese climbers are among 289 mountaineers that the Nepalese government granted permits to this season.
