Sherpa found alive on Everest after six days missing in 'Death Zone'

In what is being hailed as a miracle, Nepali guide Dawa Sherpa has been found alive after vanishing for six days in the perilous "Death Zone" of Mount Everest.

The 56-year-old Sherpa, from Okhaldhunga, disappeared on May 29th. On the morning of the seventh day, he was discovered near the Khumbu Icefall, crawling towards Everest Base Camp. Mountaineer Chhiring Jangmu Sherpa described the survival as "exceptionally rare" in Himalayan conditions, noting the extreme cold, low oxygen, and lack of essential supplies.

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This is an extraordinarily rare event even for the Himalayan region. It is an unusual case even for mountaineers and high-altitude medical experts.

A helicopter search operation, dispatched from Kathmandu, initially found no trace of Dawa. However, employees of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) working near Base Camp later informed Dawa's friend, Pasang Dawa Sherpa, that he had been found. Pasang, who had been actively involved in the search efforts, then alerted others.

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We searched from the air for nearly 25 minutes, from Everest Base Camp up to the slopes of Camp III at around 7,300 meters. We found nothing.

Following the news, a chartered helicopter, arranged by Lakpa Sherpa of 8K Expedition, was used to retrieve Dawa. By that time, he had already been carried to Gorakshep by several individuals. He was then flown to Surke for food before being transported to HAMS Hospital in Kathmandu for treatment.

Despite the jubilation surrounding Dawa's survival, the incident has ignited serious concerns regarding potential negligence and management failures by the expedition organizers, Himalayan Traverse Adventure Pvt Ltd. An official from the Mountaineering Operators Association of Nepal indicated that the event has raised questions about unprofessional practices. Climbers who attempted Everest with the same company this season have also made serious allegations about the expedition's disorganization and dangerous conditions.

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After word spread that Dawa had been found, Captain Khadka, who was in Lukla, along with Lakpa Sherpa, who had arrived from Kathmandu, arranged a chartered helicopter flight to retrieve him.