President condoles Edmund Hillary's death

New Delhi, Jan 11 (UNI) President Pratibha Patil today condoled the passing away of Everest pioneer Sir Edmund Hillary, saying the world had lost one of the 20th century's greatest adventurers.

In her condolence message, Ms Patil said Sir Edmund represented the positive approach to life which enabled him to conquer the world's highest peak in the face of daunting challenges.

''Apart from being a keen mountaineer, he was also sensitive to the needs of the people of the Himalayan region by devoting his time and energy to their welfare. A humble person, he helped fund the building of hospitals and health clinics for the Sherpas,'' she said.

The President said Sir Edmund was also an avid environmentalist and conservationist and was acutely aware of the need to keep the environment around the Himalayan region clean.

Sir Edmund, who scaled Mount Everest in 1953 along with Nepal's Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, died in a hospital in Wellington, New Zealand today.

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