Dawa Sherpa Survives 6 Days Missing on Everest, Crawls Down From 7,500 Meters
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 4
Dawa Sherpa Survives 6 Days Missing on Everest, Crawls Down From 7,500 Meters
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 4
Summary
A cleaning crew spotted Dawa Sherpa alive on Thursday as he slowly descended through the Khumbu Icefall toward Everest Base Camp, six days after he vanished above Camp 3.
The Nepali guide disappeared on May 29 at about 7,500 meters while assisting a Polish climber, and low oxygen at that altitude had left rescuers fearing he had become another season fatality.
8K Expeditions had launched an aerial search without finding him, while relatives and fellow climbers had already begun mourning him; the company called his survival a "true self-rescue."
Pemba Sherpa said Dawa was in overall good health and may have sheltered in tents, adding he knew of no previous case of someone surviving alone that long at that altitude on Everest.
The rescue comes in Everest's busiest recorded season, with more than 1,000 summits and five deaths so far, including three Nepalis involved in mountain preparations.
Presumed dead for six days on Everest, a climber returns. What really happened to him in the unforgiving Death Zone?
A Sherpa was left for dead on Everest. Was his survival a miracle or a symptom of a dangerously overcrowded mountain?
Six Days Alone on Everest: The Miraculous Survival and Rescue of Hillary Dawa Sherpa in 2026—and What It Reveals About Mountaineering Safety
Overview
In early June 2026, the mountaineering world was stunned when Hillary Dawa Sherpa, a guide presumed lost on a dangerous peak, was found alive after seven days alone without food, oxygen, or rescue. Initial reports and tributes mourned his loss, but his dramatic rescue brought widespread relief and astonishment. Dawa Sherpa’s survival against extreme conditions highlighted both his extraordinary willpower and serious gaps in rescue protocols, as he was ultimately saved by a chance encounter with a non-specialized team. His ordeal has sparked urgent questions about expedition accountability and the safety of Sherpa guides on Everest.