China to deploy theft patrol on Everest

A Chinese mountaineering official will have the unenviable task of trying to prevent robberies on the roof of the world after a spate of equipment thefts, officials said Wednesday.

The official will be deployed at a breathtaking altitude of 6,600 metres (21,780 feet) after a record season this year saw 520 people reaching Mount Everest’s 8,848-metre summit but also complaints of stealing.

“Expedition activities have been going on for some years and we want to impose stricter management... to prevent these kinds of things from happening,” said an official at the China Tibet Mountaineering Association surnamed Zhang.

AFP