Iritty: An IT professional Abhilash Mathew has unfurled the national flag atop Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak of the African subcontinent and the tallest freestanding mountain in the world.
Abhilash, a native of Attikkal village in the Iritty block of Kannur district, has been working as an IT professional in the Gulf for the last 12 years.
A member of the Saudi Arabian Mammootty Fans Association, Abhilash hoisted the Indian flag, the Saudi Arabian flag, and the Association flag at the 5895-meter-high peak on July 18.
He started scaling the heights from the Machame Gate, which is located at a height of 1800 meters from the sea level, on July 15 and reached the top three days later.
At the top of Kilimanjaro, the oxygen level is nearly 50% less and the climbers even face threats to their lives. One can stay at the summit only for a maximum of 15 minutes. The temperature falls below the zero-degree Celsius at night.
