Two climbers have been banned from Mount Everest after they were accused of falsely claiming they had climbed to the summit of the world's tallest mountain.
Indian climbers Narender Singh Yadav and Seema Rani Goswami were the recipients of certificates from the Nepal tourist board in 2016, stating they had reached the peak of Everest.
However, veteran climbers of the imposing mountain raised concerns over photos that had been submitted to back up the supposed feat, which led to a subsequent probe.
Complaints ranged from the photos featuring a lack of mountains in the reflection of a man's sunglasses and drooping flags that were shown in places that climbers said are known for their harsh winds.
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As a result, the tourist board has banned the pair and their team leader from mountaineering in Nepal for six years and fined them 50,000 rupees - just under £500.
A spokesman for Nepal's tourism ministry said they had concluded that the pair 'never reached the summit', adding: "They couldn't produce any evidence of their ascent to the peak. They even failed to submit reliable photos of them at the summit."
However, Yadav denied any wrongdoing and claimed that he had been defamed, writing on Twitter: "There is no competition between donkeys and horses and the world will keep barking like this."
So how far did the pair actually get? According to the probe, the duo and their team leader had actually been rescued because their oxygen supply began to run out in the so-called 'death zone', which is 2,000ft below the peak
This isn't the only time the Nepalese tourist board has had to wipe names from the list of supposed Everest conquerors, and the punishments for those who have lie about making the summit have generally been supported by the wider mountaineering community.
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It wiped at least five names from its list of Everest summiteers in 2019 after questions were raised about their climbs. Mingma Sherpa from Seven Summit Treks told Al Jazeera of the rulings: "It is a good decision from the government and a warning to others.
"Back then, everyone had said that they reached the summit so we reported it. But the mountaineering industry is based on trust and we must maintain it."
Back in 2016, meanwhile - the supposed year of Yadav and Goswami's conquest - another Indian couple were handed 10-year bans after it was discovered they had doctored photographs which they claimed to show them at the top of Everest.
It turned out that they had superimposed themselves onto a picture taken by another climber, Satyarup Siddhanta, who had in fact successfully reached the peak.
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Although around 800 people now climb Mount Everest each year, it remains a treacherous journey and the ultimate expedition for serious mountaineers. More than 300 have died trying to reach the summit since New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay first managed the feat in 1953.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: World News, Weird