Sherpa guide found alive on Mount Everest after surviving week without food or oxygen

Jun 4, 2026

Dawa Sherpa, a 52-year-old guide, has been found alive on Mount Everest after being missing for a week without food or oxygen. A cleaning crew discovered him crawling in the Khumbu Icefall and he was airlifted to a Kathmandu hospital for frostbite treatment. His family, who had already begun his funeral rites, learned of his survival through news reports and confirmed his identity with photos. His survival is being hailed as a miracle by the mountaineering community.

Dawa Sherpa miraculous survival

▪The mountaineering community, including leader Ang Tshering Sherpa, has described his survival as a "miracle."
▪Fellow climber Chris Thrall reported that Dawa Sherpa sat down to rest during the descent and told Thrall to continue without him.
▪Dawa Sherpa, a 52-year-old guide, was found alive on Mount Everest on June 4, 2026, after being missing for about a week.
▪He survived alone on the mountain without food, water, or supplemental oxygen.
▪Dawa Sherpa was last seen around May 29 while descending the mountain with a Polish client he was guiding.
▪The client made it safely to base camp, but it is not clear how the two became separated.

Khumbu Icefall rescue operation

▪The crew was on the mountain to remove equipment like ladders and ropes as the climbing season had ended.
▪A cleaning crew from the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee found Dawa Sherpa crawling in the Khumbu Icefall, just above base camp.
▪There was a delay in organizing a search team, and initial helicopter searches failed to locate him.

Frostbite medical treatment

▪He is being treated for frostbite and other complications but is conscious and able to speak.
▪After his rescue, Dawa Sherpa was flown by helicopter to HAMS Hospital in Kathmandu for treatment.

Family funeral rituals interrupted

▪The family first heard the news from local media and confirmed his identity after asking for photos to be sent.
▪Dawa Sherpa's family had given up hope and was on the second day of his funeral rituals when they learned of his rescue.

Record Everest climbing season

▪The 2026 Everest season was the busiest on record, with over 1,000 climbers and guides reaching the summit.
▪Five climbers and guides died on Everest during the 2026 season.