76-yr-old becomes oldest person to scale Mt Everest

A 76-year-old Nepali Min Bahadur Sherchan has become the oldest person to climb the Mount Everest, officials at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said Sunday.

Min Bahadur Sherchan reached the 8,848 meter summit early Sunday morning with his climbing guides.

Sherchan also beat the record set by Japanese climber Katsusuke Yanagisawa last year, who scaled the peak at age 71.

Sherchan who is also former soldier has climbed smaller mountains before his attempt to Everest and has been an active sportsman, reports said.

On Thursday, Appa Sherpa, a veteran mountaineering guide scaled the world's tallest mountain without artificial oxygen for a record 18th time.