A third climber, Amar Prakash (35), also reached the top with Sange (35) and Kushang (39) -- who had earlier climbed Everest from the north and the south (the most preferred route). Only four people have so far climbed Everest (8,848 m) from the treacherous Kangshung face.

The party left the summit camp at 11 pm Thursday night and reached the top at 7 am. The 10-member expedition, organised by the Indian Adventure and Mountaineering Association and called Millennium Indian Everest Expedition 1999, was led by woman mountaineer Santosh Yadav -- herself a world record holder as the only woman to have climbed Everest twice. Her climbs, in 1992 and 1993, were both from the south side.

Santosh's husband, Uttam Kumar, who is intouch with her over satellite phone, said here today that she monitored the successful summit bid from South Col, Everest's traditional summit camp at 8,000 m. ``As the leader, she decided that her responsibility was to see her members summit and then descend safely and so she gave up her own summit attempt,'' he said. The climbers make a long descent today to Camp I as an avalanche wiped out Camp II Thursday night.

Sange and Kushang, who are brothers and live in Darjeeling, began their mountaineering careers as porters for expeditions, picking up technique and experience along the way. Sange went on to join the Indo-Tibetan Border Police while Kushang became an instructor at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling. Sange made his first Everest ascent from the south in 1992 and Kushang followed the next year. In 1996, they reached the summit together from the north and became the first Indians to have climbed Everest from two sides.

Last year, Kushang became the first Indian to have climbedEverest three times when he reached the summit again from the south. The world record for the most ascents is held by Ang Rita of Nepal, who has climbed Everest 10 times.

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who had flagged off the expedition here on March 19, told Santosh, ``You have done the country proud.'' He congratulated the three summiteers.

Chief Election Commissioner M S Gill, who is president of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, expressed his happiness at the ``remarkable achievement'' and congratulated the team.