Key facts
- Dawa Sherpa, a guide on Mount Everest, was found alive near base camp.
- He had been missing for a week and his family had started funeral rites.
- Sherpa was located by a climbing support team above the Khumbu icefall.
- He suffered frostbite but was otherwise in good health and taken to a Kathmandu hospital.
- His survival is considered a miracle by the mountaineering community.
A Nepali guide, Dawa Sherpa, who had been missing for a week on Mount Everest and was presumed dead, was found alive near base camp. His family had already commenced funeral rites.
Dawa Sherpa, also known as Hillary Dawa Sherpa, was last seen on May 29. He was reported missing after failing to return to base camp with other climbing groups. A fellow climber stated he was last seen in the "death zone," an area of extreme altitude where survival is precarious.
A helicopter rescue team had been unsuccessful in finding the 52-year-old. However, a climbing support team located him on Thursday morning, crawling down the slopes near the Khumbu icefall, just above base camp. He was suffering from frostbite on his hands but was otherwise reported to be in good health.
He was quickly brought to safety and then flown by helicopter to a hospital in Kathmandu. His wife, Damu Sherpa, and daughter, Mendo Lhamu Sherpa, were waiting for him there, having already begun traditional multi-day funeral rituals.
"When we first heard about it [the rescue], we could not be sure if that person was indeed our father," said his daughter, Mendo Lhamu Sherpa. "So to be certain we asked for photos to be sent and then only we were sure and very happy."
Chris Thrall, a British climber and former Royal Marine, had posted a video tribute to Dawa Sherpa, believing he had died. Thrall recounted a brief interaction where Sherpa indicated he was fine and told Thrall to proceed down the mountain, despite the challenging weather and Sherpa's potentially malfunctioning satellite phone and radio.
Members of Nepal's mountaineering community have described Sherpa's survival as miraculous, attributing his resilience to his upbringing and inherent toughness. The team that found him was part of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, responsible for route maintenance and cleanup on Everest.
This May marked the busiest climbing season on Everest, with over 1,000 climbers and guides ascending the peak. The season experienced delays due to an ice block on the route. Five fatalities have occurred this season, prompting criticism from experts regarding the number of climbers allowed on the mountain, which can lead to dangerous congestion.