Mount Everest climber recounts moment he lost guide who survived alone for six days

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Mount Everest climber recounts moment he lost guide who survived alone for six days7 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleToby Mann Watch: 'Miracle' rescue after guide stranded on Everest for six daysA former British soldier has recounted the moment he became separated from his mountain guide as they were descending Mount Everest. Dawa Sherpa was found alive on Thursday, after six days in what's known as the "death zone". Climber Chris Thrall said that at first, it was impossible to believe Sherpa had survived against the odds.

Thrall told 's Newshour: "It's kind of crazy one minute to be fighting back tears with his daughter, and then the next minute to see him crawling into town. It's absolutely amazing, beyond words". Thrall had last seen Dawa Sherpa sitting on his backpack to have a short rest as they made their way back towards base camp after arduous days of climbing.

The Details

Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC)Dawa Sherpa (L), who was feared dead after going missing on Everest last week, has been foundThrall passed the guide, also known as Hillary Dawa Sherpa after famed mountaineer Edmund Hillary. He continued to descend alone for what he estimated to be about 50-100m before he came across another member of their group, a "Polish climber with no oxygen, battling fairly severe frostbite". "So immediately my attention turned to the weakest member of the trio.

And that was that," he told Newshour. "As I look back up the mountain, as I helped this guy descend, Hillary Dawa didn't appear to have moved, and certainly wasn't descending, because we would have seen his head torch. "Dawa Sherpa was last seen above Camp 3, at around 7,500m.

For the next six days there was no sign of him. His wife had started to offer last rite prayers for his soul, she told . As hopes of his survival faded, Dawa Sherpa had slowly been making his way back, and on Thursday he was spotted by a cleaning crew as he slid slowly down the world's tallest mountain.

What Experts Say

When Thrall first saw comments on social media saying Dawa Sherpa had been found alive, he said he thought it was "spam". "It really does defy the odds. I met the family yesterday to offer my utmost condolences," he told Newshour.

He added he was "very happy for Hillary, looking forward to speaking to him". Pemba Sherpa, executive director of 8K Expeditions which was overseeing search efforts, called it a "true self-rescue". "Dawa managed to survive against all odds for days.

It's nothing short of a miracle," he said. Dawa Sherpa is "awake and undergoing treatment", according to Nishant Dhakal, a doctor in the intensive care unit of Kathmandu's HAMS Hospital. "We are managing his frostbites, cold injuries, hydration and trauma.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.