65-year-old does it in 3rd attempt

LONDON: British adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes has reached the summit of Qomolangma on his third attempt at conquering the world's highest mountain, a spokeswoman said yesterday.

The 65-year-old arrived at the top of the 8,848-meter Himalayan peak just before midnight GMT on Wednesday (about 8 am Beijing time), said the spokeswoman for Marie Curie Cancer Care, for whom Fiennes is raising money.

"Sir Ranulph Fiennes reached the summit of Everest (Qomolangma) shortly before 1:00 am (BST) on Thursday 21 May 2009, completing what he set out to do a year ago - to raise the Marie Curie flag at the peak of the world's highest mountain," said a statement issued by the charity.