Kathmandu, May 26 -- Rustam Nabiev, a Russian ex-soldier who lost both legs when a military barracks collapsed in Russia in 2015, has stunned the world by scaling Mt Everest, the world's highest peak, using only the strength of his arms, setting what has been described as a "new record in mountaineering history".

Rustam launched the expedition this time on his 34th birthday.

While a typical climber takes three to four days for the final summit push, Rustam took about a week of intense and exhausting effort. A video of him pulling himself up across metal ladders installed over the Khumbu Icefall using his arms has gone viral.

Amputated below the waist, he reached the summit of Mt Everest on Wednesday morning. His achievement has been wi...