Kolkata, May 29 (IANS): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday remembered Nepalese mountaineer Tenzing Norgay, who along with New Zealander Edmund Hillary, was the first to scale Mount Everest on this day in 1953.

"Today is the birthday of Tenzing Norgay. He also reached the summit of Mt Everest on this day in 1953. We salute his memory," Banerjee tweeted.

Hillary and Norgay reached the summit of Everest, which is 8,848 meters (just over 29,000 feet) tall, on May 29, 1953, as part of the ninth British expedition to try to reach the top of the world.

The mountaineers stayed on the summit for about 15 minutes before beginning the long trek down the mountain.

Hillary and Norgay blazed a trail that has been followed by nearly 6,200 climbers.

Hillary (1919-2008) was 33 when he conquered Everest. Norgay, born on May 15, 1914, was 39.

After the epoch-making event on May 29, the sherpa decided to celebrate his birthday on the same date every year.

Norgay passed away in 1986 in Darjeeling, in West Bengal, at the age of 72.