Remeasuring team heading to Mt. Qomolangma summit again after delayed twice by bad weather

Deputy leader of Mount Qomolangma remeasuring team Samdrup (L) and peak-climbing squad leader Tselok are seen at the advance camp at an altitude of 6,500 meters on Mount Qomolangma, May 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Tashi Tsering)

A Chinese mountaineering team on Sunday departed again for the summit of Mount Qomolangma after their plans to reach the world's highest mountain peak were delayed twice by the bad weather.

The peak-climbing squad of the team on Sunday afternoon left the advanced base camp of Mount Qomolangma at an altitude of 6,500 meters, starting their third attempt to reach the peak of the mountain to conduct the measurement.

Weather experts and a radar vehicle have arrived at the base camp of Mount Qomolangma to provide weather services to the team. Heavy snow at the high-altitude area posed a threat of avalanches and falling rocks, delaying plans of the mountaineering team to reach the mountain peak on May 12 and 22.

According to their latest plan, the squad is expected to reach the No.1 camp of the mountain at an altitude of 7,028 meters later on Sunday and arrive at the peak on May 27.

China initiated a new round of measurement on the height of Mount Qomolangma on April 30. The measurement team consists of members from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the national mountaineering team.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Chinese surveyors have conducted six rounds of scaled measurement and scientific research on Mount Qomolangma and released the height of the peak twice in 1975 and 2005, which was 8,848.13 meters and 8,844.43 meters respectively.