New Delhi, May 2 (UNI) In a remarkable achievement, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) successfully scaled the world’s fifth highest peak - Mt Makalu in Nepal, marking a first-ever ascent by any Central Armed Police Force (CAPF).

According to an ITBP statement, the force successfully scaled the 8,485 m Mt Makalu on April 19.

The expedition to Mt Makalu and Mt Annapurna (8,091 m), flagged off from ITBP HQ, on 21 March was a historic twin summit attempt—the first of its kind in ITBP history.

Both peaks were being attempted for the first time by the force, adding to the challenge and legacy of this mission.

Led by Anoop Kumar Negi, DC/GD, with Nihas Suresh as Deputy Leader, the 12-member team was divided into two groups of six climbers each. The Makalu team achieved an 83 percent success rate, with five climbers reaching the summit at approximately 08:15 hrs on 19 April. The members included Assistant Commandant Sanjay Kumar, Head Constables Sonam Stobdan, Pradeep Panwar and Bahadur Chand and

Constable Vimal Kumar.

Meanwhile, the Annapurna team faced extreme weather, including a blizzard and whiteout conditions, and made a courageous push up to 7,940 meters, just 150 meters below the summit, before making a safe and responsible retreat on the same day at 1445 hrs.

Reinforcing its environmental commitment under the "Clean Himalaya – Save Glacier" campaign, the team collected 150 kg of non-biodegradable waste from higher camps during the expedition.

With this summit, ITBP has now successfully scaled six of the world’s 14 eight-thousanders, further cementing its leadership in Indian high-altitude mountaineering. The Force has so far conquered 229 peaks, including Mt Everest, Mt Kanchenjunga, Mt Dhaulagiri, Mt Lhotse, and Mt Manaslu.

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