A Japanese climber with only one finger due to frostbite, who last month failed to reach the top of Mount Everest, will make his final push for the summit late Wednesday, organisers said.
Nobukazu Kuriki, who lost nine fingers on the mountain in 2012, is the only climber trying to scale the world's highest peak this year after an earthquake-triggered avalanche killed 18 people at base camp.
The April disaster saw hundreds of climbers abandon their bid to ascend the 8,848-metre (29,029-foot) mountain, marking a second spring season with virtually no one reaching the summit.
An avalanche in 2014 that killed 16 Nepali guides also sparked a shutdown that year.
"He has reached the last camp and will start his climb to the summit tonight," said Tikaram Gurung, managing director of Bochi-Bochi Trek, which is handling Kuriki's expedition.
He will ascend overnight into the "death zone" -- located above 8,000 metres, notorious for its difficult terrain and thin air -- and summit around dawn on Thursday, Gurung told AFP.
Mountaineers usually begin their summit attempts late at night, which allows them to descend in daylight, lowering the risk of them falling to their deaths due to exhaustion.
Kuriki, who plans to summit alone without the aid of bottled oxygen, is making his fifth attempt to climb Everest, at a time when the risks are higher than usual because of regular aftershocks that increase the chance of avalanches.
Mountaineering experts say climbing in autumn is more dangerous than spring due to high winds and lower temperatures.
The 33-year-old was forced to abandon his bid last month because deep snow made it difficult for him to climb quickly during the final stretch.
Mountaineering is a major revenue-earner for impoverished Nepal, home to eight of the world's 14 peaks over 8,000 metres.
But the April 25 earthquake which killed nearly 8,900 people raised fears for the immediate future of the tourism industry.
AFP
Wed Oct 07 2015
Nobukazu Kuriki, who lost nine fingers on the mountain in 2012, is the only climber trying to scale the world's highest peak this year. - AFP PHOTO / Prakash MATHEMA / FILES
Portal MYStartup dilancar, platform sehenti untuk syarikat pemula
MYStartup Single Window direka untuk memupuk kerjasama, inovasi dan jangkauan global, menawarkan maklumat yang teratur kepada pengasas, pelabur dan bakat teknologi.
Penyiasatan melalui data sistem pemantauan penerbangan
Ketua Unit Penerbangan Mencari dan Menyelamat, Prof Madya MEJAR Dr Mohd Harridon Suffian, berkata usaha mengenalpasti data penting akan ditumpukan oleh pasukan mencari dan menyelamat bagi melengkapkan siasatan berhubung nahas.
Nahas Helikopter: TLDM tubuh Lembaga Siasatan
Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia (TLDM) akan menubuhkan Lembaga Siasatan bagi mengenal pasti punca dua helikopter yang terhempas semasa raptai Perbarisan Hari TLDM Ke-90 di Pangkalan TLDM Lumut, pada 9.32 pagi, Selasa.
'Malaysia ada kelebihan di Piala Thomas'
Pemain profesional negara Cheam June Wei menyifatkan pasukan negara mempunyai kelebihan tersendiri pada pertarungan pusingan pertama bertemu Hong Kong pada kejohanan Piala Thomas 2024.
Nahas helikopter Lumut: 'Hari yang amat menyedihkan buat kita semua' - MB Perak
Saarani turut mengucapkan takziah kepada seluruh keluarga wira-wira TLDM yang terlibat dalam tragedi kemalangan helikopter itu.
Keracunan makanan: KPM lakukan siasatan penuh
Kementerian Pendidikan (KPM) akan melakukan siasatan penuh dan terperinci berhubung kejadian lebih 70 pelajar di sebuah sekolah menengah di Kota Bharu mengalami keracunan makanan Sabtu lepas.
Jalan alternatif Kampung Kundur ke Bandar Lama Gua Musang ditutup - JKR
Jalan alternatif dari Kampung Kundur ke Bandar Lama Gua Musang (laluan D238) akan ditutup bagi memberi laluan kepada kerja-kerja pembinaan Jambatan Kampung Kerinting yang baharu.
Nestlé Malaysia Bhd kembali perkenal peraduan Nestlé Gaji Seumur Hidup
Nestlé Malaysia Bhd memperkenalkan semula peraduan Nestlé Gaji Seumur Hidup sebagai sebahagian daripada komitmen berterusan dalam meningkatkan kesejahteraan rakyat dan menyumbang kepada komuniti tempatan.
Pelaksanaan SKDS 2.0 bantu elak ketirisan, seludup diesel berterusan
Pelaksanaan Pelaksanaan Sistem Kawalan Diesel Bersubsidi 2.0 (SKDS 2.0) bersama Industri Pengangkutan Barangan merupakan langkah dalam mewujudkan persekitaran lebih kondusif dan mengelak ketirisan dan penyeludupan berterusan.
Lawatan Rasmi: Mohamad ke China bermula hari ini
Menteri Luar, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan mengadakan lawatan rasminya yang pertama ke China selama tiga hari bermula hari ini.
Indonesia rattled by 7.6 magnitude quake, tsunami warning lifted
Indonesia was struck by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday off the Tanimbar islands, prompting panicked residents to flee their homes, although a tsunami warning was lifted after three hours.
Gempa Sulawesi: 45 maut, ratusan lagi cedera
Pasukan penyelamat hari ini mencari dan menyelamat mangsa-mangsa yang dikhuatiri tertimbus.
Gempa bumi 5.8 magnitud gegar Filipina, 51 cedera
Sekurangnya 51 orang cedera manakala beberapa rumah, gereja dan bangunan musnah dalam gempa bumi berukuran magnitud 5.8 yang menggegarkan selatan Filipina pagi Sabtu.
Mangsa gempa warga Malaysia di Taiwan meninggal dunia
Choo Yip Chean meninggal dunia berpunca daripada kecederaan akibat gempa bumi di Taroko Gorge National Park pada 18 April lalu.
Gempa Osaka: Tiga maut termasuk kanak-kanak
Mereka yang maut adalah seorang kanak-kanak perempuan 9 tahun dan dua lelaki warga emas.
Osaka earthquake: Three dead, more than 10 injured
An elderly man and a young girl were killed, with several others in "cardiopulmonary arrest", after walls collapsed in a magnitude-6.1 earthquake in Osaka.
Major quake cuts communications, halts oil and gas operations in Papua New Guinea
At least one company began evacuating non-essential personnel after a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit Papua New Guinea's energy-rich interior on Monday.
MOSTI bangunkan standard reka bentuk bangunan tahan gempa
Standard yang dibangunkan ini akan menyediakan garis panduan kepada pihak berkuasa tempatan berkenaan reka bentuk struktur bangunan yang tahan kepada gempa bumi,- jelas kenyataan itu.
No Malaysians affected in Iran's quake
The Embassy of Malaysia in Tehran informed that no Malaysian were reported to be present at the earthquake hit area.
Selebriti dunia lahir rasa simpati terhadap mangsa gempa Nepal
Laman sosial menjadi medan reaksi para selebriti mengenai bencana gempa bumi yang melanda Nepal