Nepal will overhaul security on Mount Everest, a tourism official said today, a year after a brawl between European mountaineers and local guides made global headlines.
Soldiers and police will be stationed at Everest base camp so climbers can approach officers “if there are any issues” on the world’s highest mountain, senior tourism ministry official Madhusudan Burlakoti said.
The move comes after a fight last April between three European climbers and Nepalese Sherpa guides at the camp that shocked the mountaineering community.
The brawl fuelled concerns that overcrowding on the “roof of the world” was raising tensions and leading to arguments over climbing rights. “We are setting up a government-run tent on base camp so climbers can approach our officers if there are any issues, whether for medical help, rescues or anything else,” Burlakoti told AFP. “We want to make things easier for climbers,” Burlakoti said.