KATHMANDU, Nepal — A Sherpa guide who disappeared while descending Mount Everest has been rescued after surviving alone on the mountain for about a week, an outcome that has been widely described by Nepal’s mountaineering community as extraordinary.
Dawa Sherpa, 52, was found Thursday morning crawling toward Everest Base Camp after being missing since late May. His rescue came after family members had already begun funeral rituals, believing he had died on the world’s highest mountain.
Pemba Sherpa of 8K Expeditions, which coordinated search efforts, said Dawa was discovered near the Khumbu Icefall above base camp by a cleanup crew working on the mountain after the climbing season had ended.
Rescue Ends Week-Long Search
Dawa was last seen around May 29 while descending Everest after guiding a Polish climber. Although his client safely reached base camp, Dawa failed to arrive, prompting concern among colleagues and family members.
According to expedition officials, he was located by a team from the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, the organization responsible for installing and later removing ladders and ropes along Everest’s climbing route each season.
Rescuers quickly transported him to safety, providing food and water before he was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Kathmandu for medical treatment.
Family Had Begun Funeral Rituals
The rescue stunned Dawa’s family, who had already accepted the possibility that he would not return.
His wife, Damu Sherpa, said the family first learned of his survival through local news reports and phone calls from acquaintances who informed them that he had been found alive and was being brought down from the mountain.
Dawa’s daughter, Mendo Lhamu Sherpa, said the family was in the middle of traditional funeral ceremonies when reports emerged that he had been rescued.
Initially uncertain whether the survivor was actually her father, the family requested photographs before confirming his identity. The images brought relief after days of uncertainty.
Survival in Harsh Conditions
Officials said Dawa was last seen near the Yellow Band area above Camp 3, located at approximately 7,200 meters (23,622 feet) above sea level. Everest Base Camp sits at about 5,300 meters (17,388 feet).
Details about how he survived the week alone on the mountain remain unclear.
Search efforts were not launched immediately after his disappearance. While helicopters were eventually deployed, officials said they were unable to locate him from the air.
Mountaineering Community Calls Survival Remarkable
Members of Nepal’s climbing community described the rescue as a rare survival story in one of the world’s most challenging environments.
Ang Tshering Sherpa, a prominent figure in Nepal’s mountaineering sector, said enduring several days on Everest under such conditions was exceptional.
Dawa works for Kathmandu-based expedition company Himalayan Traverse and comes from the district of Okhaldhunga in eastern Nepal.
Record Everest Season Concludes
The rescue occurred as Nepal’s busiest Everest climbing season on record came to an end. More than 1,000 climbers and guides reached the summit during May, according to the Associated Press report.
This year’s season began later than usual after a large block of ice above base camp delayed route preparation for roughly two weeks.
Standing at 8,849 meters (29,032 feet), Mount Everest remains the world’s highest peak. The mountain was first successfully climbed in 1953 by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.
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