Gurkha in 'world first' bid reaches top of Everest

Hari (pictured at the Mera Peak summit) said the Everest climb was tougher than he ever imagined

An Army veteran who lost both his legs in Afghanistan has reached the top of Mount Everest in an attempt to make mountaineering history.

Hari Budha Magar, a former soldier in the Gurkha regiment, set out to be the first double above-the-knee amputee to scale the mountain.

Hari, 43, who lives in Canterbury, took on the challenge to "inspire others" and change perceptions of disability.

He reached the summit at about 15:00 BST on Friday, his team said.

Over a satellite phone call, he told them it was "harder than I could have ever imagined".

He said they just had to "carry on and push for the top, no matter how much it hurt or how long it took".

'Anything is possible'

Hari lost his legs when he stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED) in Afghanistan in 2010.

When he woke up after the blast, the father of three said he felt like his "life was finished" but after taking up skiing, golfing, cycling and climbing, regained his confidence.

He set off 11 days ago with a team of Nepalese climbers, led by Krish Thapa, himself a former Gurkha and SAS mountain troop leader.

When things got tough, he said it was the thought of his "amazing" family and everyone who had helped him that kept him going.

He said: "My big goals were simply to change perceptions on disability and to inspire other people to climb their own mountains.

"No matter how big your dreams, no matter how challenging your disability, with the right mindset, anything is possible."

The climb team will now rest before Hari returns to the UK later this week.

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