Nepal's Department of Tourism (DoT) has issued permits to 260 mountaineers to climb the Mount Manaslu this autumn.
As per the latest details, the DoT, which deals with the issuance of permits for mountaineering, a total of 260 members from 26 teams are permitted to climb the mountain this season.
"According to our recent data, 26 groups are going there (Mt Manaslu) in this season and there are 260 members in those groups," Dandu Raj Ghimire, Director General, DoT, told ANI.
"Last year, 192 people travelled to the Manasalu in the autumn season. But this season, the number is higher. It was 18 groups last year, and this season, we have 26 groups," added Ghimire.
The number of the climbers has clearly increased by a quarter and is sure to rise further as climbers are still applying for permits to climb various mountains across Nepal, including Mt Manaslu this season, the DoT said.
In the spring season, the Himalayan country witnessed the death of 11 climbers while climbing Mt Everest alone, which was an apparent result of issuing a high number of permits.
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Mt Manaslu, with an elevation of 8,156 meters, is considered to be the eighth highest mountain in the world. It is also known as the 'Killer mountain of Nepal' having a record number of deaths.
When asked about the precautions adopted by the government to prevent tragedies, Ghimire said it is regularly conducting briefings to the mountaineers, who will be climbing the mountain this season.
As per the details with the DoT till September 15, USD 3,44,900 been collected as royalty from 395 permitted members of 47 teams vying for different 17 mountains.