A Sherpa guide who had been missing for nearly a week on Mount Everest has been found alive and rescued while attempting to crawl back to base camp, according to rescue officials in Nepal.
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The guide, Dawa Sherpa, was last seen on May 29 while descending from the world’s highest mountain. Although the climber he was guiding safely returned to base camp, Dawa failed to arrive, prompting concern among fellow mountaineers and expedition organizers.
सगरमाथामा हराएको ६ दिनपछी भेटीए दावा शेर्पा | Dawa Sherpa Found on Everest After Being Missing for Six Days pic.twitter.com/UYzsQuBzHG
— Kantipur (@ekantipur_com) June 4, 2026
Rescuers said Dawa was discovered on Thursday morning near the Khumbu Icefall, a hazardous section of the Everest route located above base camp. Members of a cleanup team spotted him crawling down the snow-covered slopes after surviving several days in the harsh mountain environment.
According to Pemba Sherpa of 8K Expeditions, the guide was immediately carried to safety after being located. Rescue workers provided him with food and water before arranging an emergency helicopter evacuation to a hospital for medical treatment.
Officials said search efforts had faced delays, and an aerial search conducted earlier in the week failed to locate him. The team that eventually found Dawa was part of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, which is responsible for installing and later removing ladders and ropes used during the climbing season, as well as cleaning the mountain after expeditions conclude.
Dawa, 52, works for Himalayan Traverse, a Kathmandu-based trekking and expedition company. He had been guiding a climber from Poland during the spring climbing season.
This year marked the busiest Everest climbing season on record, with more than 1,000 climbers and guides reaching the summit. The season also began later than usual after a massive ice block obstructed the route near base camp and required weeks of clearing.
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The successful rescue has been welcomed by Nepal’s mountaineering community, where survival after nearly a week missing on Everest is considered remarkable.