Entire Indian Army Expedition Atop Cho Oyu

New Delhi, May 26 (UNI) Creating history of sorts, the Indian Army's mountaineering expedition to Mount Cho Oyu in the Nepal Himalayas successfully placed all 19 team members atop the 8,201-metre peak -- the sixth highest in the world.

Seven members of the team -- along with six sherpas -- summitted today while earlier on May 23 the expedition had placed a round dozen atop the peak located on the border of the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) of China and Nepal.

The Indian Army mountaineering expedition had been launched in April last -- flagged off from here on April 12 by Army Chief General JJ Singh, who is himself a qualified mountaineer and keen adventure sports lover.

Cho Oyu is the fifth 8,000 meter-plus peak successfully climbed by the Indian Army which plans attempting the remaining of the total fourteen similar peaks in the near future.

Mt Cho Oyu was first climbed in 1954 by an Austrian team. The first Indian Expedition to Cho Oyu was launched in 1958 in which two Nepali Sherpas scaled the peak. Since then, no other Indian team had attempted the Cho Oyu. Therefore, the ascent of the mountain by the Indian Army Expedition makes it the first truly Indian ascent in the real sense, claimed an official spokesman here.

The expedition has been a major success as all the climbing members, led by Lt Col Anand Swaroop, reached the summit.

The other summitters are Subedar Palden Giachho, Naib Subedar CN Bodh, SC, Havildar Bodh Singh, Havildar Champa, Naik Khem Chand, Naik Sherab Palden, Naik Balwant Singh, Naik Roshan Singh, Naik Baldev Singh, Lance Naik Tejpal Singh, Rifleman Amardev Bhatt and Sherpas Chhering Dorje, Domme, Phurba Namgyal, Phurba Chhetar, Dawa Sherpa, Thava Sherpa, Phurtemba, Nima Sherpa, Angchuk, Mingma and team photographer Gerry.

By achieving this ascent, Nb Sub CN Bodh -- who led the second summit team -- has become the only Indian to have climbed five 8,000 metre-plus peaks of the World.

He had earlier climbed Mt Everest (8848m) in 2001, Annapurna-I (8091m) in 2002, Lhotse (8516m) in 2003, Kanchenjunga (8586m) in 2004 and now Mt Cho Oyu (8201m) today.

UNI DG MSJ AT DB2041