Closed since Nepal earthquake, Everest opens to climbers

Nepal has opened Mount Everest to climbers for the first time since an earthquake-triggered avalanche in April.

The earthquake killed thousands of people in Nepal. The U.N. said 8 million of Nepal's 28 million people were affected.

Nineteen mountaineers were among the dead, and the popular spring climbing season closed after a wall of snow flattened part of the Mount Everest base camp during the avalanche.

Japanese climber Nobukazu Kuriki will be the first to attempt to scale the world's highest peak since the quake. Nepal's tourism minister, Kripasur Sherpa, gave Kuriki his climbing permit at a ceremony in Kathmandu on Sunday.

Kuriki plans to leave for the mountain on Tuesday by helicopter and then reach the summit in mid-September. The autumn season is considered a difficult time to attempt Mount Everest and is generally avoided by climbers.

"The main purpose of my climb is to spread the message that Nepal was safe for climbers and trekkers even after the earthquake," Kuriki told reporters.

It will be Kuriki's fifth attempt at Mount Everest. His four previous bids to reach the top of the 29,035-foot mountain were unsuccessful. In his last attempt, in 2012, he lost nine fingers to frostbite.

Since April's earthquake, which killed nearly 9,000 people, Nepal has been eager to bring back the tens of thousands of tourists who enjoy trekking the country's mountain trails and climbing its Himalayan peaks.

Al Jazeera with The Associated Press