Sherpa Found Alive After Six Days on Mount Everest

Overview

• Dawa Sherpa, also known as Hillary Dawa, reached the summit with British climber Chris Thrall on May 29 and was reported missing during the descent the next morning after the team became separated.
• A Nepali support and cleanup team located him crawling near the Khumbu Icefall on June 4 and a helicopter evacuated him to a hospital in Kathmandu for treatment.
• Operators and company posts say he survived almost a week without food, water or supplemental oxygen and that he showed signs of cold injury but was conscious and speaking when seen in hospital.
• Officials say search and rescue efforts were slowed because Dawa had permits with one operator but was climbing with another, creating paperwork and funding complications for coordinating aerial and ground searches.
• The case highlights the season’s high risks — at least five deaths have been recorded — and may prompt closer scrutiny of expedition oversight, rescue funding rules and route infrastructure on Everest.