2 Britons and a Mexican climber first to scale Mount Everest post 2014 Nepal earthquake

Two British nationals and a Mexican climber were the first to successfully scale Mount Everest for the first time since the devastating 2014 earthquake and avalanche in Nepal. Climbers were not allowed to go on expeditions to higher levels after dozens of mountaineers were killed in natural disasters following the earthquake.

Kenton Cool and Robert Richard Lucas (both from Britain) and David Liano Gonzalez (from Mexico) – along with three Nepalese Sherpa guides – reached the top of the Everest early on 12 May, the AP reported.

Ang Tshering of the Nepal Mountaineering Association said that the climbers were headed to a lower camp after reaching the highest trail of 8,850mt (29,035ft). Cool, 42, has previously scaled the mountain 11 times, while Gonzalez, 36, is the first mountaineer to double summit on Mount Everest from both the Nepal and Tibet sides.

According to BCC, the Slough, Berkshire-born Cool called his wife, Jazz, over the phone and told her that "the summit has never looked more beautiful," and added that it was "great to be back".

More than 19 climbers and 16 Sherpas have been killed since 2014 in avalanches, which were triggered by earthquakes. Overall, the 2014 earthquakes in Nepal claimed 9,000 lives. On 11 May, a group of nine Sherpa guides reached the summit of the Everest to secure ropes for the foreign climbers.

In 2014 the climbing season was cancelled as authorities found it unsafe for mountaineers to go on expeditions, and again in 2015 all expeditions were called off. This year, the government of Nepal has provided permits to 289 enthusiasts who wish to scale the Everest.