Hero's welcome for octogenarian who climbed Everest

An 80-year-old Japanese mountain climber has received a hero's welcome in Kathmandu after becoming the oldest person ever to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Yuichiro Miura, who has undergone heart surgery four times, was greeted with garlands of flowers and a press pack in the Nepalese capital after reaching the summit late on Thursday.

"This is the greatest feeling in the world," he told family members and supporters gathered in Tokyo, speaking from the summit by satellite phone.

"I never thought I'd get to the summit of Everest at the age of 80. It was the best feeling to get here, but now I'm completely exhausted."

Miura comes from a dynasty of veteran adventurers in Japan, his father having famously skied down Mont Blanc at the age of 99.