Mount Everest

The pair reached the summit of Mount Everest at 11.30am on 29 May 1953, cementing a long-lasting friendship between the two climbers that blossomed into ongoing ties between the two countries.

Nepal begun commemorating the date as International Everest Day after Hillary's death in 2008, but New Zealand has not followed suit.

The day has been celebrated in Nepal and by the Nepali diaspora ever since, as an occasion to promote alpine tourism and mark the special bond that exists between Nepal and New Zealand.

Base camp officials said they had received reports of 17 confirmed cases from hospitals in the capital Kathmandu, where a number of climbers have been sent from the base camp and higher camps to be treated.

And staff at a private hospital in Kathmandu, the CIWEC clinic, confirmed to the BBC that patients had tested positive for coronavirus after arriving from Everest base camp.

Doug Scott was part of the famous team to complete the challenge in 1975.

He also founded the charity Community Action Nepal (CAN) in 1994 to help people in the Himalayas, and had raised thousands of pounds in lockdown by climbing up and down his stairs.

Nottingham-born Mr Scott, who had cancer, died at his home in Caldbeck, in the Lake District.

On 24 September 1975, expedition leader Chris Bonington reported Dougal Haston and Mr Scott, part of an 18-strong group, had reached the 29,028ft (8,848m) summit safely and were on their way down the mountain.

South African Ryan Sean Davy, 43, claims to have climbed alone to a height of 7,300m (24,000ft) before he was found hiding in a cave.

He has apologised but complained of being treated "like a murderer".

It is extremely rare for someone to attempt climbing Everest by themselves.

The overwhelming majority of climbers only tackle the highest mountain in the world with the help of at least one guide and a well-equipped support team at base camp.

Japanese climber Nobukazu Kuriki will be the first to attempt to scale the world's highest peak since the quake. Nepal's tourism minister, Kripasur Sherpa, gave Kuriki his climbing permit at a ceremony in Kathmandu on Sunday.

Kuriki plans to leave for the mountain on Tuesday by helicopter and then reach the summit in mid-September. The autumn season is considered a difficult time to attempt Everest and is generally avoided by climbers.