Nepali Sherpa saves Malaysian climber in rare Everest ‘death zone’ rescue

Gelje Sherpa, 30, hauled the climber 600m (1,900 feet) down from the Balcony area to the South Col, over a period of about 6 hours, where Nima Tahi Sherpa, another guide, joined the rescue.

Ngima Tashi Sherpa walks as he carries a Malaysian climber while rescuing him from the death zone above camp four at Everest, on 13 May 2023 | Gelje Sherpa/Handout via Reuters

Kathmandu: A Malaysian climber narrowly survived after a Nepali sherpa guide hauled him down from below the summit of Mount Everest in a “very rare” high altitude rescue, a government official said on Wednesday.

Gelje Sherpa, 30, was guiding a Chinese client to the 8,849 metre (29,032 feet) Everest summit on May 18 when he saw the Malaysian climber clinging to a rope and shivering from extreme cold in the area called the “death zone”, where temperatures can dip to minus 30 degrees Celsius (86F) or lower.

Gelje hauled the climber 600 metres (1,900 feet) down from the Balcony area to the South Col, over a period of about six hours, where Nima Tahi Sherpa, another guide, joined the rescue.

“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 said.

A helicopter using a long line then lifted him from 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.”

Gelje said he convinced his Chinese client to give up his summit attempt and descend the mountain, saying it was important for him to rescue the climber.

“Saving one life is more important than praying at the monastery,” said Gelje, a devout Buddhist.

Tashi Lakhpa Sherpa of the Seven Summit Treks company, which provided logistics to the Malaysian climber, declined to name him, citing his client’s privacy. 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.

At least 12 climbers have died – the highest number for eight years, and another five are still missing on Everest’s slopes.

(Reporting by Gopal Sharma; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)

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