Ex-British Gurkha hopes Everest climb will change disability perceptions

Hari Budha Magar, the first above the knee double amputee to scale Mount Everest, said on Sunday that his ascent would raise awareness about disability.

Magar, 43, climbed the 8,848-metre (29,032-foot) Everest on artificial legs on Friday and is now taking rest at the base camp, said Pravat Adhikari of the Himalayan Ski Trek company that provided logistics for him.

“Gurkha veteran, Hari Budha Magar creates history … as the first ever double above-knee amputee to scale Mt Everest,” the Gurkha Brigade said in a twitter post.

Bigyan Koirala, an official with Nepal's Department of Tourism, confirmed that Magar had climbed the mountain with five Sherpa guides and that his ascent is “a world record”.

Magar, who joined the British army in 1999, lost both his legs after stepping on an improvised explosive device (IED) during a patrol duty in Afghanistan in 2010.

He said he had “suffered a lot” because of his disability and did not want other people to face the same pains.

“I hope my climb will help change the perception of persons with disabilities,” Magar told Reuters from the base camp by phone.