WATCH | 'Nearly impossible operation': Nepali sherpa rescues Malaysian climber from Everest's 'death zone'
Everest rescue
A Malaysian climber nearly escaped death after a Nepali sherpa guide carriedhim down from Mount Everest's peak in a "very rare" high-altitude rescue, according to a government official who spoke to Reuters.
Gelje Sherpa, 30, was guiding a Chinese client to the summit of Everest on May 18 when he noticed a Malaysian climber clinging to a rope and shivering from extreme cold in the "death zone" where temperatures can plummetto minus 30 degreeCelsius (86F) or even lower.
Gelje hauled the climber 600 metres (1,900 feet) down from the Balcony area to the South Col, for over six hours, where Nima Tahi Sherpa, another guide, joined the rescue operation.
Video courtesy: Reuters
“We wrapped the climber in a sleeping mat, dragged him on the snow or carried him in turns on our backs to camp III,” Gelje told Reuters.
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They were then lifted with the help of a helicopterfrom the 7,162-metre (23,500 feet) high Camp III down to base camp.
“It is almost impossible to rescue climbers at that altitude,” Department of Tourism official Bigyan Koirala told Reuters.
“It is a very rare operation,” he added.
Gelje said he requestedhis Chinese client to give up his summit attempt and walk downthe mountain, saying it was crucialfor him to rescue the climber.
“Saving one life is more important than praying at the monastery,” said Gelje.
Tashi Lakhpa Sherpa of the Seven Summit Treks company, which helpedthe Malaysian climber logisticallyrefusedo name him, citing privacy concerns.The climber was put on a flight to Malaysia last week.
Nepal issued a record 478 permits for Everest during this year’s March to May climbing season.
ALSO READ |Nepal shelves plan to relocate Everest base camp even as threats rise due to climate change
Why are so many people dying on the Everest? Is climate change the reason?
As per experts, this is one of the deadliest years on record on Mount Everest, with variable weather caused by climate change blamed forthe deaths of up to 17 people.
A total of 12 people have now been confirmed dead during Everest expeditions this season and another five are missing, according to the Himalayan Database, which keeps track of mountain fatalities.
ALSO WATCH |Nepal marks 70th International Everest Day 2023
“Altogether this year we lost 17 people on the mountain this season.The main cause is the change in the weather. This season the weather conditions were not favourable, it was very variable. Climate change is having a big impact in the mountains,”Yuba Raj Khatiwada, the director of Nepal’s tourism department told the Guardian.
This makes 2023 one of the worst years on Everest, only surpassed by the events of 2014 when 17 died, most of them local sherpas killed in an avalanche. Every year, between five and ten people die on Everest, although there has been anincrease recently.
(With inputs from agencies)
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