Missing Sherpa found alive on Mount Everest as family began funeral rituals

A Sherpa guide who went missing while descending Mount Everest has been found aliveafter spending nearly a week alone on the mountain according to reportsDawa Sherpa 52 was last seen around May 29 while descending Everest after guiding a Polish climber Although his client safely reached base camp Dawa never arrived raising fears about his fateThe climbing season had just ended and Dawa with his client were among the last people on the mountain as climbing routes were being dismantledFamily had already begun funeral ritualsThe family had already lost hope after days without any information Dawarsquos teenage daughter Mendo Lhamu Sherpa said they were on the second day of funeral ritualsThen came an unexpected phone callHis wife Damu Sherpa said they first learned he was alive through local news reports and a phone call from someone they knewWe were very happy to hear the news we had given up hope said his wife Damu Sherpa We also began puja yesterday His daughter Mendo Lhamu Sherpa said the family initially struggled to believe the news At first we were not sure if it was him she saidBut they sent us photos to confirm and then I was happy reported AFPFound crawling near base campHope returned on Thursday morning when Dawa Sherpa was found alive near Everest Base Camp after being missing for nearly a week Known among climbers by the nickname Hillarymdasha tribute to legendary mountaineer Edmund Hillary was spotted by members of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee SPCCThe SPCC team was working on its annual task of removing ropes ladders and waste left behind after the climbing season when they spotted him crawling through the snow near the Khumbu Icefall close to Everest Base CampHe was found by a team of SPCC this morning close to the base camp mdash he was crawling down said Pemba Sherpa of 8K Expeditions which coordinated rescue efforts reported AFPA rescue helicopter then flew him to HAMS Hospital in Kathmandu where his wife and daughter were waitingReceiving treatment in hospitalAt Kathmandus HAMS Hospital Dawa was admitted to intensive care where doctors treated him for frostbite coldrelated injuries dehydration and traumaHe is awake and undergoing treatment said ICU doctor Nishant DhakalWe are managing his frostbites cold injuries hydration and trauma He is being further evaluated and will be in our ICU reported AFPDespite spending nearly a week exposed to harsh conditions on the worlds highest mountain doctors said he was conscious and responding to treatmentSearch efforts faced delaysAlthough Dawa had been missing since the previous week there was a delay in organising a search operation No explanation was provided for the delayWhen helicopters were eventually sent to look for him they were unable to locate him in the vast mountain terrain His survival remained unknown until the cleanup crew happened to spot him while working on the routeA long and dangerous descentDawa was last seen near a section of the mountain known as the Yellow Band above Camp 3 which sits at an altitude of about 7200 meters 23622 feet Everest Base Camp where climbers begin and end their expeditions is located at around 5300 meters 17388 feetExactly how Dawa survived and managed to descend such a significant distance remains unclearHe works for Himalayan Traverse a small Kathmandubased guiding company and comes from the town of Okhaldhunga south of EverestMountaineering community calls survival a miracleNews of Dawarsquos rescue quickly spread through Nepalrsquos mountaineering community where many described his survival as extraordinary reported the news agenciesAng Tshering Sherpa a respected figure in the climbing community said ldquoThis is nothing short of a miracle surviving so many days on the mountains facing such harsh conditionrdquo reported APHe added that Sherpas are known for their strength and endurance because of their upbringing in the HimalayasldquoSherpas are built tough growing up in the mountains If there was someone else in his place they might not have survivedrdquo he said as per the news agencyWith AP and AFP Inputs