BEIJING (AP) - The Olympic flame has reached the highest peak on Earth.

A 19-member Chinese mountaineering team made it to the summit of Mount Everest Thursday, holding aloft a specially designed torch along with the Chinese and Olympic flags.

The team's captain yelled the slogan of the Beijing Games, "One World, One Dream" as the torch was lit on the final icy incline leading to the peak.

The Everest torch is separate from the main torch and was lit from an Olympic flame carried up the mountain inside a special cannister.

The group broke camp above the 27,000-foot level before dawn and reached the top of the 29,035-foot-high
mountain a little more than six hours later.

Organizers hope the dramatic images of the flame atop Everest will counter bad publicity from protests during the international legs of the torch relay. China has been criticized over its harsh rule over Tibet, where Everest is located.

The torch is now being jogged through China and will be spotlighted at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Games in August.

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