KATHMANDU: Bangladeshi mountaineer Nurunnahar Nimni on Wednesday scripted a landmark chapter in her country's mountaineering history, becoming the first Bangladeshi woman to summit Mount Everest in 14 years.

According to Pemba Sherpa, Chairman of Kathmandu-based 8K Expeditions, the Nepal agency organising her climb, she reached the 8,848.86-metre summit at 5:24am on Wednesday.

The feat ends a 14-year drought since Nishat Majumder and Wasfia Nazreen made history in 2012 by conquering the world's highest peak within a week of each other. Nimni is the third Bangladeshi woman to stand atop Everest.

Originally from Rangpur and a geology graduate of Dhaka University, Nimni traces her passion for the mountains to a student fieldwork trip to Chandranath Hill in Sitakunda in 2006. Years of preparation followed, scaling peaks in Bhutan, Sikkim, and Nepal's 7,126-metre Himlung Himal, the latter ascent in 2025 proving a decisive confidence-builder ahead of her Everest bid.

Her expedition, organised by the Bangladesh Mountaineering and Trekking Club (BMTC) and sponsored by Pubali Bank PLC, began with her departure from Dhaka on April 11 for an approximately 50-day campaign via the southern (Nepal) route.

Nimni had trained rigorously for the summit, beginning her days at 5:00am and supplementing a full working day with gym sessions to maintain peak fitness. She had been preparing for an Everest attempt since 2022, including professional training in Darjeeling.