A Sherpa guide, previously assumed dead, was discovered alive on Mount Everest after enduring nearly a week without food, water, or supplemental oxygen. Rescuers described the survival of Dawa Sherpa, 52, as a miracle. His family had already begun funeral rituals when he was found crawling towards the base camp.
Dawa’s Journey and Rescue
Dawa disappeared around May 29 while descending Everest. He had been guiding a Polish climber but turned back before reaching the summit. The client returned safely to the base camp, but Dawa did not, leading to fears for his life. A cleanup crew from the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee found him in the Khumbu Icefall, a dangerous area near base camp. Rescue teams carried him to safety and transported him by helicopter to a hospital in Kathmandu.
“When we first heard about it, we could not be sure if that person was indeed our father,” said his daughter Mendo Lhamu Sherpa.
His family, having lost hope, was performing funeral rites when the news of his rescue circulated. Dawa’s wife, Damu Sherpa, discovered he was alive through news reports and calls from friends.
His daughter confirmed that he is conscious, able to speak, and undergoing treatment for frostbite and other complications.
Community and Global Reaction
The Nepal Mount Everest hiking company released a statement about Dawa’s extraordinary survival. He navigated the treacherous Khumbu Icefall alone, even after the removal of fixed ladders for the season.
Helicopters had searched for Dawa initially but failed to locate him until the cleanup crew’s discovery. His rescue marked the end of a record-shattering Everest climbing season, during which over 1,000 climbers and guides reached the summit after Nepal issued 494 permits.
Officials report that five climbers and guides died on Everest during the season. Dawa’s survival story, however, offers a rare and uplifting moment amidst the challenges of this environment.