Nepali sherpa praised for ‘almost impossible’ rescue of Malaysian climber in Everest’s ‘death zone’

Gelje Sherpa lauded for daring rescue of man dangling on a rope and shivering in extreme cold

A Nepali sherpa rescued a Malaysian climber from the ‘death zone’ (Screengrab/@gelje_sherpa_ /Instagram)

A Nepali sherpa has been praised for launching a daring high-altitude rescue operation in Mount Everest’s “death zone” – where the limits of human survivability are severely tested.

Gelje Sherpa, 36, rescued a stranded Malaysian climber who was clinging to a rope and shivering from extreme cold above 8,000m.

Mr Gelje was guiding a Chinese client up the world’s tallest peak on 18 May when he spotted the climber.

Nepal’s government on Wednesday said the climber survived after Mr Gelje carried him on his back for almost six hours and brought him down to a camp where he received medical attention.

Authorities called it a “very rare” rescue.

The “death zone” is the name given to the highest part of Everest, which is the area above 26,247ft (8,000m).

The atmospheric oxygen there is so low that cells in the human body die in the absence of any supplementary oxygen. Studies show that the judgement of climbers becomes impaired and they can experience stroke, heart attacks, and severe altitude sickness.

Mr Gelje posted a video of the rescue on Instagram and wrote: “I made the decision to cancel our client’s summit push so that I could bring him down to safety before he died up there alone. I carried him myself all the way down.”

Mr Gelje met another guide, identified by local media as Ngima Tashi Sherpa, who joined the rescue. “We wrapped the climber in a sleeping mat, dragged him on the snow or carried him in turns on our backs to Camp 3.”

Then a helicopter joined the rescue and lifted the Malaysian climber from the 7,162m (23,500ft) high Camp 3 down to base camp.

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

Speaking about the rescue, Mr Gelje said “saving one life is more important than praying at the monastery”.

The climber was put on a flight back to Malaysia last week and was not identified due to privacy reasons.

A remarkable YouTube video of the rescue showed the climber being wrapped in a sleeping mat and then hauled up on Mr Gelje’s back.

“Sherpas are true heroes. Much love and respect. God bless,” one user commented on the video-sharing platform.

“The size of this man’s heart is immeasurable,” said another user.

On his Instagram, Mr Gelje was applauded for his efforts. “This is absolutely incredible. Proof that there are still giants among us,” wrote one person.

The Nepal government issued 478 permits to climb Everest this year. The previous record was 409 for 2021.

At least 12 climbers have died this season – the highest number in eight years.