Marines in Everest Rescue

A Royal Marine and a Sherpa reached the summit of Everest yesterday as other members of their team rescued climbers in trouble on the mountain in the run-up to the 50th anniversary of its first ascent.

Marine warrant officer Dave Pearce and Chhring Dorje were part of a Royal Navy team - the first in the navy to organise an Everest expedition - tackling the mountain via the difficult North Ridge.

The pair started their descent after about 20 minutes at the summit as another marine, Darren Swift, rescued an Australian suffering from snow blindness and frostbite near camp five at 7,800 metres.

A Briton with a broken leg, whom the Australian had tried to help, was also rescued by stretcher. Helicopters were unable to reach the men because the air is so thin at that altitude.

Meanwhile, one marine, Captain Richard Cantrill, abandoned his ascent less than 300 metres short of the summit after suffering from frostbite.

Speaking from the summit, Warrant Officer Pearce, 39, from Budleigh Salterton, Devon, said: "This is great for the team, it's been a hoofing team effort."

Earlier yesterday, a 70-year-old from Japan, Yuichiro Miura, became the oldest person to conquer Everest, and Mike Murphy and Gerard McDonnell became the first Irish climbers to reach the summit, where they hoisted their tricolour at the southern side of the mountain. Hannah Shields, a 37-year-old dentist from Kilrea, was forced to turn back 300ft from the summit due to exhaustion.

The first ascent was by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, on May 29, 1953.