British adventurer Lewis Gordon Pugh has become the first person to swim under the summit of Mount Everest.Pugh crossed the 1km Pumori glacial lake, which sits at an altitude of 5,300 metres next to the Khumbu Glacier in a time of just 22 mins and 51 seconds.
He undertook the record-breaking swim in a bid to draw attention to the melting of the glaciers in the Himalayas and declining water supplies in the region.
Despite the water being a chilly 2 degrees he wore just a pair of Speedo swimming trunks, a cap and goggles… and the look of someone crazy enough to have carried a boat up Everest.
It had taken Pugh and his team two weeks of trekking to get to the lake where Pugh said: "It was one of the hardest swims I've ever undertaken."Because of the altitude you need to swim very slowly and deliberately. Swimming 20 metres at full speed in the test swim, I felt I was going to drown.
"I was gasping for air and if I had swum any faster I would have gone under. I was deeply concerned that I wouldn't make 1km and I'm delighted that I've finally achieved it."
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