Remarkable Survival on Mount Everest
A Sherpa guide, whose family had already begun to arrange a funeral after his disappearance on Mount Everest, was found alive almost a week later. Dawa Sherpa, 52, was discovered crawling towards base camp, having survived without food, water, or supplemental oxygen on the highest mountain in the world—a situation that rescuers described as nothing short of miraculous.
Dawa went missing around May 29 while descending with a Polish mountaineer whom he was guiding. They had turned back just before reaching the summit. While the client made it back safely, there were growing concerns that Dawa might not have survived.
Pemba Sherpa from 8K Expeditions told the Associated Press that a cleaner from the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Board found Dawa crawling through the perilous Khumbu Icefall, a particularly dangerous area, just above base camp, on Thursday morning.
Rescue teams brought him to safety, provided him with food and water, and airlifted him to a hospital in Kathmandu, where his wife and daughter were anxiously waiting.
By then, his family had all but given up hope. His teenage daughter, Mendo Ram Sherpa, shared that they were in the midst of funeral preparations when they first received the shocking news of his rescue.
“When we first heard about it, we weren’t sure if that person was really our father,” she recalled. “We asked them to send us a photo just to confirm. After that, we were convinced and filled with joy.”
Dawa’s wife, Dam Sherpa, mentioned that they learned about his survival through news reports and calls from friends. “The first time we heard that he was alive was on local news and… from a friend who got in touch with us,” she said.
Dawa was still wearing his climbing jacket when he was found. Though he is currently receiving treatment for frostbite and other complications, he is conscious and able to talk, according to his family. “He recognized me… he’s doing well and can speak,” his daughter expressed, sounding relieved. “We are happy.”
Nepal’s Everest climbing company hailed his survival as remarkable, asserting, “Dawa survived the dangerous Khumbu Icefall alone for almost a week without food, water, or supplemental oxygen, even after the fixed ladder was removed for the season. This is truly a miracle.”
However, it remains unclear how Dawa got separated from his client while coming down the mountain and why there was a delay in initiating a search operation when he went missing. Eventually, a helicopter was sent out, but they were unable to locate him.
This rescue occurred at the close of what has been a record-breaking Everest climbing season, with over 1,000 climbers and guides reaching the summit after Nepal issued a record 494 permits. However, authorities have also disclosed that five climbers and guides have lost their lives during this season.
