Nepali Climber Miraculously Survives 6 Days Abandoned on Everest, Mountaineering Community Demands Probe

(Central News Agency, Kathmandu, 9th – Combined Foreign News) A Nepali mountaineer who was abandoned and spent six days surviving the harsh conditions of Mount Everest on his own before being rescued has been moved from the intensive care unit to a general ward and is gradually recovering, his family said today. The local mountaineering community is demanding a thorough investigation into the incident.

According to AFP, his incredible survival has inspired many climbers, but his family and the mountaineering community are dissatisfied that he was not discovered sooner.

57-year-old Dawa Sherpa went missing on May 30th, at the end of the spring climbing season, in the harsh environment of the upper slopes of the world's highest peak.

He was found on the morning of the 4th of this month crawling towards Base Camp and was airlifted to Kathmandu, where doctors treated him for frostbite, severe dehydration, and a fractured thigh bone.

Relative Nuru Sherpa told AFP, "He has been moved from the ICU to a general ward and is continuing treatment. He can now speak a little and can eat. Doctors are monitoring the recovery of his hands and feet."

Trapped near the so-called "Death Zone" of Mount Everest, where oxygen is extremely thin, Dawa Sherpa said he endured several days with almost no food or water.

Speaking from his hospital bed on the 5th in an interview with BBC Nepali, he said, "I thought I was going to die. I wasn't lost; I just fell behind after my oxygen ran out. Once the oxygen was gone, I couldn't continue descending."

"For the first two days, I didn't eat anything. Then I started chewing ice. My teeth hurt, but I still bit down on the ice."

He survived on just a few chocolates and snacks he had in his pocket.

Dawa Sherpa is nicknamed "Hillary" in the local climbing community, after the legendary New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary.

When he was found by personnel from Nepal's Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, which manages Everest climbing routes and waste cleanup, he was still slowly crawling towards Base Camp.

Maya Sherpa, chairperson of the Everest Summiteers Association, told AFP today, "There is negligence in this case. An investigation must be launched to find out exactly what happened to prevent a repeat of this tragedy."

The Nepal Mountaineering Association has also called on the government to form a task force to thoroughly investigate the incident.

At least five climbers (two Indians and three Nepalis) have died during this year's Everest climbing season.

According to preliminary statistics from the Nepali government, over 1,000 people successfully summited Everest this year, a new record. The government earned over $7 million from issuing Everest climbing permits. (Editor: He Hongru) 1150609