Four Navy climbers plant Naval Ensign on Mount Everest

VISAKHAPATNAM: Marking a

momentous occasion

after 13 years, the

Indian Naval Ensign

was again planted atop Mount Everest at 7.15am on Sunday as part of the

Navy's Mission

Everest 2017. Four members, including three from the Eastern Naval Command (ENC), Visakhapatnam, successfully summited the peak and are now descending towards their base camp. The second naval team of climbers is on its way to summit the peak.

Those who successfully summited the highest mountain peak in the world on Sunday are Lieutenant Shashank Tiwari, Lieutenant Anant Kukreti and Lieutenant Commander Bikas Maharana from the ENC, and Lieutenant Commander

CS Yadav

from the Western Naval Command.

After 13 years, the Indian Navy had sent a 24-member team (18 climbers and six supporting staff) on Everest expedition. However, bad weather and heavy winds forced six from the first team (Team A) to return to Camp IV (7,700 metre) at midnight. There are eight members in Team B, which is expected to reach the Everest summit on Tuesday morning. On the other hand, the four members of Team A, who successfully climbed the peak, are to return to the base camp by Monday evening.

It was on March 23, 2017 that Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba had flagged off this 24-member expedition team to Mount Everest, themed 'Sagartal Se Sagarmatha', meaning from seabed to summit. First, the Naval Ensign was taken to the bottom of sea by diving off the coast of Karwar and now it was placed on the highest point on Earth, thus signifying the Navy's efforts to soar from the depths of the ocean to the highest peak of the world.