Nepal's Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation has initiated an investigation into the use of Xenon gas by climbers during their recent ascent of Mount Everest.

Use of Xenon gas, believed to help prevent altitude sickness, reduce low-oxygen effects, stirs debate in mountaineering community - Anadolu Ajansı

Four British climbers pose on the summit of Mount Everest less than a week after leaving London, in one of the fastest ascents on record of the world's highest peak, in Nepal (Sandro Gromen via AP)

Two people died while climbing Mount Everest as hundreds of climbers are attempting to scale the world's highest peak, expedition organizers said.

Four British climbers used Xenon gas to reach the summit of Mount Everest in less than five days, causing controversy. Nepal's Tourism Department is investigating as the gas usage wasn't authorized. The quick ascent may have wider implications for mountain tourism and local livelihoods dependent on extended climber stays.

"In the past, wherever you looked, you would see snow-covered mountains. But now, black rocky hills have started to appear. The mountains that once looked completely white now appear as black peaks," Thakuri told the Asia News Network.

A British climber scaled Mount Everest for the 19th time, breaking his own record for the most ascents of the world’s highest peak by a non-Sherpa guide.

Kenton Cool, 51, from southwest England, first climbed Mount Everest in 2004 and has been doing it almost every year since then.

Mount Everest, located in the Himalayan Mountain Range, is the tallest mountain in the world. It reaches an elevation of 29,032 feet. The mountain itself is nestled between Nepal and Tibet, within an autonomous region of China. Hundreds attempt to climb the peak each year, though many fail in the process.

People who live in the Nepalese mountains have been guiding foreign climbers up the world's tallest mountain since the 1920s. We take a closer look at their vital role in these high-risk expeditions