Two Burmese mountaineers who successfully climbed Mount Everest in May and four divers who helped recover the bodies of ferry-boat accident victims in Sagaing last week were awarded certificates of honour by Commander-in-Chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing on Tuesday, according to the Myawady news group.

At 7am on 19 May, Pyae Phyo Aung, 34, and Win Ko Ko, 36, of the Myanmar Hiking and Mountaineering Association successfully reached the summit of Mount Everest, the highest point on the planet, where they planted the Burmese flag. In so doing, the two Rangoon men became the first and only Burmese nationals to have scaled the 8,848-metre Himalayan peak.

A third member of their team, Nyi Nyi Aung, 30, was compelled to wait at Everest Base Camp suffering from severe altitude sickness.

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Also honoured were local divers – Shwe Ba, Zaw Oo, Zaw Lwin and Nyo Aye – from the town of Kani in Sagaing Division. The four were awarded certificates for their acts of bravery and selflessness in assisting military and fire department personnel recovering bodies from the swirling waters of the Chindwin River after a ferry boat sank. At least 50 people died in the disaster.

Similarly, the office of the commander-in-chief last week also issued honorary certificates to two servicemen and four fire fighters who assisted in the search and rescue efforts.