Sherpa left behind on Everest survives 6 days with no food, oxygen
Sherpa survives 6 days after going missing on Everest
A 52-year-old sherpa who had been presumed dead on Mount Everest was found alive nearly a week after disappearing during his descent. LiveNOW’s Mike Pache spoke about this sherpa guide’s amazing story of survival with Angela Benavides from Explorer’s Web.
A sherpa left behind in the closing rush of Mount Everest’s climbing season was found alive Thursday, dragging himself down the world’s tallest mountain after six days with no food or oxygen.
Angela Benavides, a writer for ExplorersWeb, joined LiveNow from FOX to share the incredible story.
Sherpa left behind
What we know:
Benavides said sherpa Hillary Dawa was last seen May 29, the last day of the Everest climbing season, about 25,000 feet up the mountain. He was descending with a client who had summited late in the day on May 28 at a "very dangerous" time, "when there was no one there to help."
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They were having problems on the way down, and the sherpa stopped for a break, Benavides said. The client continued down, leaving Dawa behind.
What they're saying:
"And that was the last time he was seen," Benavides recalled.
Meanwhile, everyone else was in Kathmandu celebrating "the most successful Everest season ever." It wasn’t until June 1 that people realized Dawa was missing.
FILE: This photograph taken on May 31, 2021 shows mountaineers lined up as they climb a slope during their ascend to summit Mount Everest in Nepal. (Photo by LAKPA SHERPA/AFP via Getty Images)
"And I said … but is there anyone going to search for him?" Benavides said. She was told no, because "he's surely dead."
Two days after Dawa was last seen, sherpas dismantled the main climbing route, taking down several ladders that helped climbers cross crevasses.
What we don't know:
It’s still unclear why Dawa got left behind and whether there were others in his group when it happened. He was working for Himalayan Traverse Adventure.
A garbage crew and a miracle
The Miracle:
On June 4, six days after Dawa was last seen, a crew was picking up trash around Everest Base Camp when they spotted him on a glacier, "dragging himself down."
"He fell in a crevasse," Benavides said. "He spent two days inside a crevasse, waiting to be rescued. No one came. Then an avalanche came inside the crevasse, and instead of killing him … the fresh snow changed the floor of it, and he managed to get himself out. It was amazing."
Dawa, 52, was flown to a hospital in Kathmandu, where he’s recovering from injuries. All things considered, "he’s not doing that bad."
"I've been covering Himalayan expeditions for over 30 years and I've never seen something like that," Benavides said. "There have been some miracle survival stories in the Himalayas, especially in Everest, but these people were eventually rescued. This sherpa, he saved himself. There was no rescue, no one came to his help. Well, he made it!"
What's next:
Benevidas said while there’s a lot to celebrate, the experience has also been "quite sobering" for the Everest community, with "a lot of lessons to be learned." Authorities in Nepal are investigating why Dawa was left behind by his employer.
"Local companies, foreigners, all these thousands of climbers who climb Everest, we just need to reflect … we cannot leave anyone behind. That should be absolute priority," Benavides said.
The Source: This report includes comments and information from Angela Benavides, a writer for ExplorersWeb.