Kathmandu, Oct 17 (IANS): Nepal had issued 870 permits for climbers to scale 37 mountains in the country during the fall climbing season.
The Department of Tourism on Wednesday allowed 668 males and 202 females from 70 countries and regions to climb the peaks, including Mount Dhaulagiri (8,167 metres) and Mount Manaslu (8,163 metres), the world's seventh and eighth highest.
Of the climbers, 73 are from the United States, with 72 and 69 from China and France, respectively, according to Xinhua news agency.
"We still have more than a month for this season. We're expecting to cross last year's number," said Rakesh Gurung, director of the tourism department.
About 1,300 permits were issued by the agency during the fall climbing season in 2023.
The fall climbing season in Nepal starts in September and runs until November.