A Sherpa guide has miraculously survived almost a week on Mount Everest without food or supplemental oxygen.
Dawa Sherpa was last seen on May 29 when he did not return to base camp alongside his Polish client after failing to reach the summit of the 8,849-meter peak. His family had begun to lose hope of finding him alive and were in the midst of a two-day funeral ceremony.
Initially presumed dead, Dawa was discovered crawling down the slopes of Everest after enduring about a week without sustenance or oxygen. His disappearance occurred while he and his client were descending from the mountain, having not reached the summit.
The 52-year-old was last spotted above Camp Three. While his client managed to return to base camp, the circumstances surrounding their separation remain unclear.
The Nepal Mount Everest hiking company reported on social media, “Dawa survived alone for nearly a week without food, water, or supplemental oxygen, navigating the treacherous Khumbu Icefall, even after the fixed ladders had been removed for the season.” They described his survival as nothing short of miraculous.
On Thursday, a cleaning crew found Dawa crawling near the Khumbu Icefall, just above the base camp. Pemba Sherpa of 8K Expeditions, which coordinated the search, confirmed his rescue. Dawa was swiftly transported to safety, where he received food and hydration.
A rescue helicopter subsequently transported him to HAMS Hospital in Kathmandu, where his wife and daughter, who had already begun funeral preparations, awaited him.
His daughter, Mhendo Lhamo Sherpa, reported that her father is recovering and receiving treatment for frostbite and other health issues. “When we first heard about the rescue, we could not be sure if that person was indeed our father,” she said. “He recognized me… he is doing well and can speak.”
Dawa and his client were among the last climbers to attempt an ascent of Everest this season, which concluded last month. The team that located him was part of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, responsible for establishing and later removing the ladders and ropes along the climbing route.
The mountaineering community in Nepal has celebrated Dawa’s survival as a remarkable feat. Ang Tshering Sherpa, a prominent figure in the community, remarked, “This is nothing short of a miracle to survive so many days in such harsh conditions. Sherpas are resilient, having grown up in the mountains. If someone else had been in his situation, they might not have made it.”
This climbing season has been the busiest on record, with five climbers and guides losing their lives on Everest. Over 1,000 climbers and their guides summited the mountain in May, marking the most active climbing season ever.
This year’s season started late, with climbers stranded at base camp due to a massive glacier blockage that delayed route access. Concerns have been raised about the increasing number of climbers and the effects of rising temperatures on the mountain.
Kami Rita Sherpa, who recently set a record for the most ascents at 32, warned that the growing number of climbers is leading to complications. “Nepal should only issue permits to no more than 250 climbers from the Nepal side,” he suggested. “It would be beneficial if the government implemented such limits.”
This year, numerous photographs from the mountain depicted long lines of climbers caught in traffic jams, attached to fixed ropes, and waiting for their turn to reach the summit. The first successful ascent of Everest was achieved by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay on May 29, 1953.
