According to a government official, a Nepalese sherpa has climbed Mount Everest for a record-setting 26th time, shattering his record set last year.

Saturday, 52-year-old Kami Rita Sherpa led ten other Sherpa climbers over the usual south-east ridge path to the summit of the 8,849-meter mountain.

"Kami Rita has broken his record and set a new world record in climbing," said Taranath Adhikari, director-general of the Department of Tourism in Kathmandu, on Sunday.

Jangmu, the wife of Kami Rita, expressed delight at her husband's accomplishment.

In 1953, New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Nepalese sherpa Tenzing Norgay pioneered the route used by Kami Rita, which remains the most popular.

This year, Nepal has awarded 316 permits for Everest climbing during the peak season, which spans from April to May, compared to 408 last year, the biggest number ever.

In 2019, the Himalayan nation, which relies heavily on climbers for foreign cash, was criticized for permitting overcrowding and multiple climber deaths in the Himalayas.

Everest has been scaled 10,657 times since its initial ascent from the Nepali and Tibetan sides in 1953. According to the Himalayan database, many have climbed the mountain more than once, and 311 people have died.