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A total of 274 mountaineers reached the summit of Mount Everest in a single day, setting a new record for the most climbers to top the world's highest peak within a 24-hour window, according to Nepali officials.
Favorable weather conditions contributed to the surge, allowing a large number of expeditions to push for the summit simultaneously.
The previous record was set on May 22, 2019, when 223 climbers reached the peak from the Nepal side and 113 from the Chinese side.
The record-breaking day also saw veteran Sherpa guide Kami Rita extend his own mark by reaching the summit for the 32nd time, surpassing the record he himself had previously set for the most ascents of Everest by any individual.
The day also produced a separate milestone. Russian climber Rustam Nabiev, who had both legs amputated following an accident, became the first person with a disability to summit Mount Everest without prosthetic limbs, according to Khim Lal Gautam, field office coordinator at Everest Base Camp, who spoke to Anadolu Agency (AA).
Nabiev, a former Russian paratrooper, lost both legs in 2015 when the military barracks building in which he was sleeping collapsed.
Following the accident, he channeled his recovery into outdoor and mountaineering pursuits, using each ascent to demonstrate that people with disabilities can participate in extreme sports and high-altitude climbing.
His first major post-accident climb was Russia's Mount Elbrus. He then went on to summit Nepal's Mount Manaslu in 2011, which is one of the world's 14 peaks above 8,000 meters, before setting his sights on Everest.
At 8,848 meters above sea level, Mount Everest sits on the border between Nepal and China's Tibet Autonomous Region, with its eastern face falling within Chinese territory.
The mountain attracts hundreds of climbers each season, and Nepal issues a limited number of permits annually.
Gautam confirmed that Nabiev had successfully completed his descent from the summit and was on his way back to base camp.
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