Everest guide Dawa Sherpa found alive after six days missing, crawling to base camp alone
Nepali guide Dawa Sherpa, missing since 29 May on Mount Everest and presumed dead, was found crawling near base camp on Thursday morning by a cleanup crew.
Disappearance on the descent
Dawa Sherpa, a 52-year-old Nepali guide also known as Hillary Dawa Sherpa, went missing on 29 May while descending from the summit of Mount Everest. He was assisting a Polish climber and was last seen above Camp 3, at roughly 7,500 metres. British climber Chris Thrall, a former Royal Marine, had summited with Sherpa around 17:00 on 29 May and began descending with him from Camp 4 (about 7,950 metres) the following morning.
I turned and I said, 'Hillary, are you okay, brother?' He said, 'Yes, yes, fine Chris, please go, go!'
Thrall continued down and encountered a struggling Polish climber who had run out of supplementary oxygen and was suffering from frostbite. Faced with a choice between returning for Sherpa or helping the Pole, Thrall shared his remaining oxygen and spent eleven hours reaching Camp 3 with the Polish climber. Sherpa never caught up.
Six days without food or oxygen
For nearly a week, Dawa Sherpa was exposed to the thin air of the death zone with no food and no supplementary oxygen. His wife, Damu Sherpa, told AFP she had already begun funeral prayers. On Wednesday, Thrall posted an Instagram video tribute, believing Sherpa had died on the mountain. Aerial searches by 8K Expeditions in the days after his disappearance yielded no results.
Dawa leidet unter Erfrierungen und spricht nur sehr langsam.
Sherpa later recounted that he had seen a helicopter fly overhead on Wednesday and raised both arms twice in the icefall, but was not spotted.
Discovery by cleanup crew
On Thursday morning, a team from the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) — a Nepali group that sets routes and removes waste from the mountain — found Sherpa near base camp. He was crawling and sliding through the Khumbu Icefall toward Crampon Point.
Dawa managed to survive against all odds for days. It's nothing short of a miracle.
Pemba Sherpa of 8K Expeditions, who coordinated the search, described the find as a self-rescue. Sherpa was suffering from frostbite and severe weakness but was in relatively good health overall. A helicopter transported him to a hospital in Kathmandu.
A record season with fatalities
More than 1,000 climbers and guides reached the Everest summit this season, making it the busiest on record. At least five people died — three Nepalis involved in preparations and two Indian climbers, according to AFP. The climbing season ended last week, and Sherpa and the Polish climber were among the last on the mountain.
- Dawa Sherpa and Chris Thrall reach the Everest summit together.
- Sherpa sits down to rest during descent from Camp 4; Thrall continues down and later helps a Polish climber in distress.
- Sherpa is last seen above Camp 3 at roughly 7,500 metres.
- Thrall posts an Instagram video tribute, believing Sherpa has died. Sherpa sees a helicopter but is not spotted.
- SPCC cleanup crew finds Sherpa crawling near base camp. He is airlifted to a hospital in Kathmandu.
