A Nepali mountain guide who had been presumed dead on Mount Everest has been found alive six days after he went missing during the final days of the climbing season.
Dawa Sherpa, also known as Hillary Dawa, was found on Thursday morning by a team from the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee as he was crawling towards base camp. He had last been seen on May 29 while descending between Camp 3 and Camp 4.
Pemba Sherpa, from 8K Expeditions, which was involved in the rescue effort, said Dawa was evacuated by helicopter and taken to hospital in Kathmandu.
“He has suffered frostbite but overall appears to be in satisfactory condition,” he told AFP, adding that he had spoken with doctors treating the guide.
Nishad Dhakal, a doctor in the intensive care unit at HAMS Hospital in Kathmandu, said Dawa was conscious and receiving medical care.
His wife, Damu Sherpa, said the family had lost hope before learning he had survived.
“We had given up all hope and had started funeral rituals on Wednesday,” she told AFP.
Dawa had been descending with a Polish climber who had not reached the 8,849-metre summit when he disappeared. The client later returned to base camp, but it remains unclear how the two became separated.
The pair were among the last climbers on Everest this season, which ended last month.
Nepal Mount Everest, a mountaineering company, said in a social media post that Dawa had survived alone for almost a week without food, water or additional oxygen while trying to find his way through the dangerous Khumbu Icefall.
“It is truly a miracle,” the company said.
More than 1,000 climbers and guides ascended Everest this season, a record number, after Nepal issued 494 climbing permits.
Five climbers and guides died on Everest during the season, according to officials.
Source: CNN.gr
