Indian team scale South America's highest peak

Uttarkashi: A six-member Indian climbing team has completed its expedition to Mount Aconcagua (6,962 metres) in Argentina, the highest peak in South America and the tallest mountain outside Asia.

The team hoisted the national flag after reaching the summit on Sunday.The expedition was organised by the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), Uttarkashi, and the Jawaharlal Institute of Mountaineering and Winter Sports (JIM&WS), Pahalgam. The joint team left Uttarkashi on Feb 2 and was flagged off by defence minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi earlier this month. A communique from defence ministry said that the expedition sought to enhance the professional skills of Indian mountaineering instructors and promote the country's mountaineering capabilities globally.The team was led by NIM's in-charge principal, Colonel Hemchandra Singh. During the expedition, members also climbed the 5,050 metres high Mount Bonete.Other members of the expedition included NIM's in-charge deputy principal Captain G Santosh Kumar, who served as deputy leader, trainers Deep Bahadur Shahi and Vinod Gusain, Naib Subedar Bhupinder Singh, a Vishisht Seva Medal awardee, and Havildar Ramesh Kumar.