Kathmandu, Apr 27 (IANS): Sixty women including eight from India, have received permits to summit Mount Everest this spring, an increase from the total number in 2017, Nepal's Department of Tourism (DoT) said on Friday.

As many as 59 women received permits last year. Of them, 33 women had succeeded in conquering the world's tallest peak, reports Xinhua news agency.

"As we have not stopped providing permits for this season, the number of women seeking permits may rise further," Ram Prasad Sapkota, DoT under secretary told Xinhua.

A total of 346 climbers have received permits from the Nepalese government to climb Everest as of Thursday, according to DoT.

With 15 climbers, Nepal tops the list of women participants followed by the US (nine), India (eight), China (seven) and Britain (four).

According to the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), the number of women willing to summit the peak has been rising in recent years.

Since Japanese climber Junko Tabei became the first woman to climb Mt.Everest in May 1975, a total of 356 women have reached the top, according to the DoT.