Everest milestone climb

Hundreds of people in Nepal’s capital have held separate rallies to mark the 61st anniversary of the first conquest of Mt Everest and to remember the 16 Sherpa guides who died in an avalanche last month on the world’s highest mountain. New Zealander Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa guide, Tenzing Norgay, became the first climbers to reach the top of Everest on May 29, 1953. More than 500 people, including mountaineers and trekking guides, marched in Kathmandu yesterday to mark the day.