13-year-old is youngest girl to climb Mount Everest

NEW DELHI (KGO) -- A 13-year-old from India has done what no other girl her age has accomplished before -- climb Mount Everest.

Malavath Poorna is the daughter of poor Indian farmers. She and a team of Sherpas from Nepal reached the summit on May 25.

A smiling Poorna told reporters Wednesday in New Delhi that she faced extreme cold, difficult terrain, personal fear and dead bodies on her journey up the world's tallest mountain. But she explains the joy she felt when she reached the top and saw "mighty mountains and morning sunlight" all around.

"When I reach the top of Everest, very good experience," she said. "I feel great and proud. I shed joyful tears."

A charity called the Andhra Pradesh Social Welfare Residential Educational Institution Society sponsored the trip as part of its program to encourage underprivileged children.

A 13-year-old boy climbed Everest previously.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)