SouthernWorldwide.com – A Sherpa guide, who was presumed dead and whose family had already begun funeral rites, has been miraculously found alive and crawling towards base camp on Mount Everest after being missing for a week.
Dawa Sherpa, 52, disappeared on May 29 while descending the world’s highest peak. He had been guiding a Polish climber who safely reached base camp, but Dawa did not return, leading to fears he had perished.
His survival is being described as “nothing short of a miracle” as he endured nearly a week alone on the mountain without food, water, or supplemental oxygen. This occurred in the treacherous Khumbu Icefall, a notoriously dangerous section of Everest.
A cleanup crew from the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee discovered Dawa on Thursday morning. He was found crawling through the Khumbu Icefall, just above base camp, according to Pemba Sherpa of 8K Expeditions.
Rescuers were able to reach him, provide him with essential sustenance, and airlift him by helicopter to a hospital in Kathmandu. His anxious wife and daughter were waiting for him there.
The situation was particularly harrowing for his family. His teenage daughter, Mendo Lhamu Sherpa, shared that relatives were in the midst of funeral rituals when they received the news of his rescue.
“When we first heard about it (the rescue), we could not be sure if that person was indeed our father,” she told The Associated Press. “So to be certain we asked for photos to be sent and then only we were sure and very happy.”
His wife, Damu Sherpa, also recounted how the family learned of his survival through local news reports and calls from friends. She expressed immense relief upon hearing the news that he was being brought down.
When rescuers found Dawa, he was still wearing his climbing jacket. His family reported that he is currently receiving treatment for frostbite and other related complications. Despite his ordeal, he is conscious and able to communicate.
“He recognized me … is good and speaks,” his daughter stated to Reuters. “We are happy.”
The Nepal Mount Everest hiking company lauded his survival as extraordinary. They emphasized that Dawa managed to survive for almost a week without any supplies and navigated the dangerous Khumbu Icefall even after the fixed ladders for the season had been removed.
It remains unclear how Dawa became separated from his client during the descent. There was also no immediate explanation for the delay in initiating a search when he was first reported missing last week. Helicopters were deployed but were unsuccessful in locating him.
His rescue concluded a climbing season on Everest that saw a record number of ascents. Nepal issued a record 494 permits, leading to over 1,000 climbers and guides reaching the summit this year.
According to Reuters, officials reported that five climbers and guides lost their lives on Everest during this season.
