Three from Pune's Giripremi mountaineering club scale Everest

Three climbers from the Pune-based mountaineering club Giripremi successfully scaled Mount Everest, hoisting the Indian Tricolour at 8,848.86 metres on May 21.

Three climbers from Pune-based mountaineering club Giripremi scaled Mount Everest on Thursday, hoisting the Indian Tricolour at 8,848.86 metres, expedition leader Umesh Zirpe said.

Vivek Shivade, Mihir Jadhav and Akhil Katkar reached the summit of the world's highest peak at dawn on May 21, along with their high-altitude guides Urgen Sherpa, Lakpa Sherpa and Lakppa Tenji Sherpa, he said.

The Giripremi's Everest Expedition 2026 team spent nearly 50 days in the Himalayas amid extreme conditions and a narrow summit window before making the final ascent, Zirpe said in a statement.

''This moment belongs to every climber, Sherpa, family member, supporter, well-wisher and sponsor who stood by us. Their blessings gave us strength in the toughest moments,'' he said.

Giripremi has been organising high-altitude expeditions for several years.