362 get permission to climb mountains in Nepal

Kathmandu, Sep 16 : As many as 362 climbers from 54 countries and regions, including 88 women, have received permission to scale ten mountains in Nepal for the fall season on Monday.

Among the climbers, 308 have been granted permission to climb Mount Manaslu, the world's eighth-highest peak at 8,163 metres, and 14 for Mount Dhaulagiri, the seventh-highest at 8,167 metres, according to Nepal's Department of Tourism.

The government has collected US$300,525 in royalty fees from issuing the permits, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We granted permissions to some 1,300 climbers in the autumn last year. We are also expecting a similar footfall this year," said Rakesh Gurung, a director at the department.

The fall climbing season in Nepal begins in September and runs until November.