Man presumbed dead survives week on Mount Everest without food or oxygen

In a remarkable turn of events, a Mount Everest guide, Dawa Sherpa, who was presumed dead after going missing on May 29, has been found alive. The 52-year-old was discovered crawling near base camp after surviving for approximately a week without food, water, or supplemental oxygen.

“

He recognised me … is good and speaks. We are happy.

Sherpa disappeared while descending from an attempt to reach the 8,849-meter summit with a Polish climber. He was last seen above Camp Three. His survival is being hailed as miraculous, especially considering he navigated the treacherous Khumbu Icefall even after the season's fixed ladders were removed.

A cleanup crew from the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee located Sherpa on Thursday. He was immediately transported to HAMS Hospital in Kathmandu, where he is being treated for frostbite and other complications. His wife and daughter, who had already commenced the multi-day funeral rituals, were present at the hospital.

“

This is nothing short of a miracle surviving so many days on the mountains facing such harsh condition.

"He recognised me … is good and speaks. We are happy," said his daughter, Mhendo Lhamo Sherpa, expressing relief and joy at his recovery. The incident occurred during the busiest climbing season on record for Everest, which saw over 1,000 climbers and guides ascend the mountain. Five climbers and guides died during this season.

“

Sherpas are built tough growing up in the mountains. If there was someone else in his place they might not have survived.