The Maltese flag was flown proudly at the peak of the highest mountain in the Americas last weekend, as Giovanni Camilleri struggled against the odds to reach the summit without his teammates.

Expedition leader Josef Grech made the agonising decision to abandon his ascent just 500 metres from the summit due to severe altitude sickness.

Mr Grech handed over the Maltese flag and Malta Climbing Club flag to Mr Camilleri, who reached the summit of Aconcagua (6,962 metres) with chief guide Pablo Kuntz at around 3pm local time on December 28.

They returned to Camp 3 at 7.45pm to a warm welcome from Mr Grech and assistant guide Sebastian Garcia.

The next day, they descended to base camp for an emotional reunion with the other members of the Maltese mountaineering team, Mark and David Gladwish. The Gladwishes had been forced to retire on Boxing Day due to severe foot blistering.

Preparations for the arduous climb in the Argentine Andes had been going on for the past year.

The team from the Mountaineering Section of the Malta Climbing Club followed a rigorous fitness training programme and planned the logistics down to the smallest detail.

A fifth team member, Fabrizio Valente, provided ground logistics support from Malta.

The team are now in Mendoza for the official conclusion of the expedition and a few days of well deserved rest. This was the group’s toughest challenge to date. Between them, they had previously climbed Mt Etna, Sicily (3,329 metres), Mt Toubkal, Morocco (4,167 metres) and Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (5,895 metres).

The expedition was self-funded by the climbers and undertaken purely as a mountaineering challenge.