52-year-old mountain guide Hillary Dawa Sherpa was rescued on Thursday after being missing for six days on Mount Everest and presumed dead, now recovering in a Kathmandu hospital.
A Narrow Survival
Hillary Dawa Sherpa was airlifted to a hospital in Kathmandu after being located on Thursday, June 4. Dr. Nishant Dhakal confirmed that the climber is conscious and currently receiving treatment in the intensive care unit for dehydration and severe frostbite.
The British Climber’s Account
The guide was descending with British climber Chris Thrall when he went missing near Camp Four at an altitude of approximately 7,950 meters. Thrall recounted that the 11-day journey to the summit and back left them exhausted.
Thrall stated that the Sherpa had stopped to rest, telling him to continue the descent alone. Faced with the choice of searching for the Sherpa or assisting another climber in immediate distress from hypothermia and frostbite, Thrall moved forward, believing the guide would recover as he had many times before.
Disbelief and Relief
The Sherpa’s family had already begun mourning, with his wife holding prayers for the dead on Wednesday. His daughter, Mendo Lhamu Sherpa, admitted the family initially doubted the report until photographic evidence confirmed her father’s survival.
