Nepali Guide Rescues M’sian Climber from Mt Everest ‘Death Zone’ in Rare High Altitude Operation

A Malaysian climber has been rescued by a Nepali sherpa guide after he was found clinging to a rope and shivering from the extreme cold in an area called the ‘death zone’, as shared by The Straits Times.

The situation has since been considered a ‘very rare’ high altitude rescue by Nepal government officials.

Freelance journalist, Saurabh Sharma, took to his Twitter account to showcase 30-year-old Gelje Sherpa’s rescue of the Malaysian climber, as he carried the man from below the summit of Mount Everest, where temperatures can dip to minus 30 degrees Celsius or lower.

He wrote, “Gelje hauled the climber 600 metres 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.”

Gelje was guiding a Chinese client to the 8,849m Everest summit on May 18 (Thursday) when he saw the Malaysian climber.

He then convinced his client to give up his summit attempt and descend the mountain, saying it was important for him to rescue the climber.

“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 7,162m high Camp III down to base camp.

“It is almost impossible to rescue climbers at that altitude. It is a very rare operation,” shared Department of Tourism official Bigyan Koirala.

You can check out the video of Gelje carrying the Malaysian climber down from Mount Everest here: 

Watch NEPALI sherpa Gelje Sherpa rescuing Malaysian climber from Death Zone on Mount Everest.

Gelje Sherpa, 30, 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" on Mount Everest. pic.twitter.com/sImCe3d19Y

— Saurabh Sharma (@saurabhsherry) May 31, 2023

We genuinely hope that the climber has a speedy recovery from the ordeal.

What do you think about this? Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.

Also read: Guide Shows Just How Littered Mount Everest Really is As Trekkers Leave Behind Trash