Nepal welcomes back Everest climbers

Nepal is welcoming climbers back to tackle Everest after the coronavirus stopped expeditions to the mountaintop.

A team of climbers belonging to Bahrain's Royal Guard have arrived in Nepal for the spring expedition of Mount Everest, authorities say.

No climber has climbed Mount Everest from the Nepal side since 2019 due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

The team, comprising 13 Bahraini and three British nationals, landed at Kathmandu airport in a special Bahrain Defence Force aircraft late Monday, according to Chhang Dawa Sherpa from Seven Summit Treks.

They are currently in a week-long quarantine required for tourists entering Nepal.

The climbers, who climbed Mount Lobuche (6119 metres) and Mount Manaslu (8163 metres) last year, will remain in Nepal for 80 days attempting ascent of the world's highest peak, according to Nepal's embassy in Bahrain.

The expedition is being organised by Bahrain's Royal Guard and one of the members of the team belongs to Bahrain's royal family, the embassy said in a statement.

It has been estimated that more than 300 climbers are expected to return to Everest in order to scale the 8848.86-metre peak this spring season beginning March, according to Mira Acharya, director of Nepal's Department of Tourism.