Fastest Woman To Climb Mount Everest Now Stranded In Nepal Amid COVID-19 Restrictions

Tsang Yin-hung, who became the fastest woman to scale Mount Everest this year, is now stranded in Nepal with other mountaineers from China because of the COVID-19 restrictions imposed by Beijing.

Nepal has been witnessing a surge of infections even at the base camp of Everest, leaving several countries no other choice but to block travel from there.

The 45-year-old teacher, Tsang Yin-hung, from Hong Kong made her ascent from the base camp at 17,390 feet to the world's highest peak at 29,032 feet in 25 hours and 50 minutes last month, before arriving back in Kathmandu, Nepal, on May 23. But Yin-hung still needs to get back home, something according to her, appeared harder than her record-breaking ascent to the highest peak, reports Reuters. Kathmandu has been partially shut down since May. Yin-hung said the summit climb was possible and achievable for her but "going back home (looks) hopeless".

Yin-hung, who is now stranded with her expedition organisers and other mountaineers in Kathmandu, said there is no way to go back to China since no flights from Nepal are currently operational.

Tsang Yin-hung: Fastest woman to climb Mount Everest

In reaching the peak, Yin-hung, last month, beat the previous record of 39 hours and six minutes set by Phunjo Jhangmu Lama from Nepal when she completed the climb in 39 hours 6 minutes in 2018.

Born in mainland China, Tsang Yin-hung, moved with her family to Hong Kong when she was 10 years old, according to Agence Frances-Presse.

Yin-hung told the New York Post that she only stopped twice to change clothes between the base camp and the summit, and she credits "luck" with not encountering many other climbers on the way up. "For the summit, it is not just not your ability, team work, I think luck is very important," said Yin-hung, who began training as a mountaineer eleven years ago. In 2017, the Hong Kong resident became the first woman from the region to reach the top. It was her third attempt at scaling the Himalayan peak. Read about Priyanka Mohite, the girl who scaled the world’s fifth highest mountain here.

Feature Image Credit: WION