Everest Sherpa, who was presumed dead, found alive after 6 days; family demands probe into rescue delays

The family of a Nepali climber who dragged himself off Mount Everest six days after being abandoned called for an investigation into rescue efforts, as doctors said on Friday he is in a stable condition and recovering in hospital. Mountaineer Dawa Sherpa, 57, vanished in bitter conditions on the upper reaches of the world’s highest mountain early on May 30. His family thought he was dead and had even begun ritual mourning prayers. He was found crawling towards Base Camp on Thursday morning by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), a Nepali team that helps set routes on Everest and clean up waste left behind. Dawa Sherpa, also known as “Hillary” after the famed climber Edmund Hillary, was flown to the capital Kathmandu, where he is being treated for frostbite on his fingers, a fractured thigh bone and severe dehydration, doctors said. “His clinical condition remains stable, and his dehydration is showing significant improvement,” said Jyotindra Sharma, director of the HAMS Hospital in Kathmandu. He said Dawa Sherpa had survived “extremely challenging conditions” on Everest. “He will remain in the [intensive care unit] for a few more days for ongoing care and observation,” Sharma said in a statement. His remarkable survival was greeted with jubilation by his family, who also said they were angry at what they described as the failure of rescue teams to locate him earlier. His wife, Damu Sherpa, told AFP of her joy when she was sent a photograph as he was flown to the capital. “I do not remember how this week went — we thought he was no more, and had already begun his last rites,” she said as she waited to meet him outside the hospital’s ICU. “I was so surprised when I saw the photos and recognised him — he was still wearing a cap I knitted for him.” ‘Angry’ The climb was one of the last of the season, meaning that there were few other mountaineers on the peak. His wife accused the expedition company of failing to deploy search teams in time. “There should b