Chinese authorities have successfully rescued 580 hikers from the eastern slopes of Mount Everest.

Nepal has announced that it will waive climbing permits for 97 of its Himalayan mountains, aiming to encourage exploration of lesser-known peaks. However, the country will raise the fees for summiting Mount Everest, reflecting the growing demand and the need for sustainable management of the world’s tallest mountain.

Nepal announced on Thursday that it is investigating the use of Xenon gas by four British army veteran climbers during their Mount Everest ascent, according to the Kathmandu Post.

A team of four British climbers has made mountaineering history by becoming the first to summit Mount Everest using Xenon gas, a method that significantly shortened the usual acclimatisation period needed for the climb.

China has closed the scenic areas on its side of Mount Everest, also known as Mount Qomolangma, to tourists following a 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Dingri County in the Tibet Autonomous Region on Tuesday.

A colossal meteorite, first identified in 2014, has been found to have unleashed a tsunami larger than any recorded in human history and boiled the Earth's oceans, according to recent scientific research.