Nepal has banned for six years two climbers from India found to have faked their summit of Mount Everest.

Narender Singh Yadav and Seema Rani Goswami were found to have faked their climbing of the mountain by doctoring photos of them on top of Everest. The climbers claimed they made the summit in 2016 but officials only discovered the deceit this year.

The two climbers reportedly used the doctored photos as evidence of their climb. They submitted them to Nepal's Tourism Ministry - which certifies the accomplishment.

The deception was uncovered after one of the climbers was nominated for an award last year. Narender was to be awarded India's Tenzing Norgay Adventure Award for contributions and accomplishments - including his scaling of the mountain.

Mountaineers that examined the photos found evidence they may have been altered. Nepal's tourism ministry investigated and an agency official confirmed this week it found that the two never reached the summit.

"We found that they had submitted fake documents including photographs. Based on the documents and the conversation with the officials concerned, including (expert Nepal mountaineers) we reached this conclusion," tourism officials said.

Nepal's ministry revoked the certificates given to the climbers and suspended the license of their lead guide. The guide was also banned for six years.

The guide told investigators the climbers encountered problems. He said oxygen cylinders malfunctioned and he advised the two climbers to return to base camp.

He didn't say if he knew the climbers had faked photos.