Hillary Dawa Sherpa, a 30-year-old [1] Nepali mountain guide, was found alive Thursday after disappearing on Mount Everest for six days [2].
The rescue marks a rare survival against extreme altitude and exposure, occurring after search teams had largely lost hope of finding him alive.
Sherpa vanished on May 30, 2026 [4], while on the slopes of the 8,849-meter [2] peak. He was located on June 4, 2026 [5], near the base camp. Reports said the guide was found in a critical state, crawling toward the camp to seek help [3].
Rescue operations continued despite the deteriorating likelihood of survival. L'Équipe said searchers had "abandoned all hope" [1] before the discovery. The survival of the guide has been described by some as "a little miracle on Everest" [1].
Sherpa is an experienced climber who had previously reached the summit of the mountain on March 29, 2026 [6]. His ability to survive six days [2] without immediate assistance in the death zone and surrounding slopes highlights the extreme physical toll of such an ordeal.
While the specific cause of his disappearance was not detailed, the guide survived a prolonged period of exposure on the mountain [1]. He was recovered by teams who remained active in the area despite the presumption that he had died.
“"Nous avions abandonné tout espoir"”
This incident underscores the extreme volatility of the Everest climbing season and the critical role of Nepali guides who manage high-risk descents. The fact that a professional guide was presumed dead for nearly a week before being found crawling toward base camp emphasizes the difficulty of search-and-rescue operations at high altitudes, where weather and terrain often render electronic tracking and visual searches ineffective.
