Everest guide presumed dead reappears after six-day ordeal on world’s highest mountain
A climbing guide who was feared dead on Mount Everest has stunned fellow mountaineers and rescue teams after emerging alive nearly a week after disappearing high on the mountain, surviving one of the world’s most unforgiving environments against overwhelming odds.
Dawa Sherpa, an experienced Nepali guide known in the climbing community as Hillary Dawa Sherpa, vanished while descending from the upper sections of Everest, triggering a search operation and prompting many to believe he had become the latest victim of the mountain’s dangerous climbing season.
For six days, there was no sign of him.
With survival chances diminishing rapidly at extreme altitude, family members, colleagues and fellow climbers had begun preparing for the worst. His wife reportedly performed last rites prayers after hopes of finding him alive faded.
The narrative changed dramatically on Thursday when members of a mountain clean-up team spotted a lone figure making his way toward base camp through the treacherous Khumbu Icefall. To their astonishment, it was Dawa Sherpa.
“This is a true self-rescue,'” said Pemba Sherpa, executive director of 8K Expeditions which was overseeing search efforts. “Dawa managed to survive against all odds for days. It’s nothing short of a miracle.”
According to expedition officials, the guide was found slowly descending toward safety despite having spent days in one of the harshest environments on Earth. Remarkably, he was reported to be in relatively stable condition considering the circumstances.
Dawa Sherpa had last been seen on 29 May above Camp 3, at an altitude of about 7,500 metres, while assisting a Polish climber. At such elevations, oxygen levels are significantly reduced, making prolonged survival without support extremely difficult.
His disappearance came during a busy Everest season that has drawn record numbers of climbers to the mountain. More than 1,000 people reached the summit this year, making it the most active climbing season ever recorded on the world’s highest peak.
Before news of his survival emerged, tributes had already begun appearing online.
Among those who believed the guide had perished was climber and former British Royal Marine Chris Thrall, who shared an emotional account of their final interaction during the descent from Camp 4.
In a video posted on social media, Thrall recalled checking on Dawa Sherpa after noticing he had paused during the descent.
“And I turned and I said, ‘Hillary, are you okay, brother?’ He said, ‘Yes, yes, fine Chris, please go, go!'” Thrall said. “This is nothing new, you know, I’d go ahead, he’d go ahead.”
Thrall later encountered a struggling Polish climber and continued down the mountain, expecting Dawa Sherpa to follow. When the guide failed to arrive, concern quickly escalated into a full search effort.
Despite aerial searches conducted in the days that followed, rescuers were unable to locate him, reinforcing fears that he had been lost on the mountain.
His unexpected return now stands as one of the most remarkable survival stories of the climbing season.
The incident comes amid another deadly year on Everest. According to AFP, five people have lost their lives during the current climbing season, including three Nepalis involved in preparations on the mountain.
Against that backdrop, Dawa Sherpa’s survival has been widely described as extraordinary, with fellow climbers and expedition organisers hailing his return as a rare story of endurance and resilience from a mountain more often associated with tragedy.
Source: BBC
About The Author
