Sherpas Rescue Climber Stranded In Mount Everest's 'Death Zone'

NEPAL-EVEREST-MOUNTAINEERING

Photo: Getty Images

A man who attempted to climb Mount Everest is lucky to be alive after he found himself stranded in an area known as the "death zone," where temperatures can drop to 86 degrees below zero.

Gelje Sherpa was helping another climber scale the mountain when he saw the man clinging to a rope in desperate need of help. Gelje rushed over and helped him back down the mountain. After carrying the man about 1,900 feet down the mountain over the course of six hours, another guide, Nima Tahi Sherpa, found them.

The two sherpas worked together to bring the man down to Camp III.

"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 told Reuters.

Once the man was safely at Camp III, a helicopter was called in to airlift to the base camp.

Officials praised the sherpas for conducting the daring rescue in such a dangerous section of the mountain.

"It is almost impossible to rescue climbers at that altitude," Department of Tourism official Bigyan Koirala told Reuters. "It is a very rare operation."

Authorities did not provide any details about the rescued climber or his condition.


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