A Sherpa guide who disappeared on Mount Everest and was presumed dead by many, including members of his own family, was found alive nearly a week later, crawling through one of the mountain’s most dangerous sections, as reported by Fox News.

Dawa Sherpa, 52, vanished around May 29 while descending from Everest after turning back short of the summit with a Polish climber he had been guiding.

The client safely reached base camp, but Dawa never arrived, prompting concerns that he had become another casualty on the world’s highest mountain.

As search efforts failed to locate him in the days that followed, family members began funeral rites, believing he had died on Everest.

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Then came an unexpected development.

On the morning of June 4, a cleanup crew from the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee discovered Dawa alive in the Khumbu Icefall, a hazardous stretch of Everest located above base camp.

The area is known for shifting ice formations, deep crevasses, and unstable conditions that make it one of the most dangerous parts of the mountain.

Pemba Sherpa of 8K Expeditions confirmed to The Associated Press that the missing guide was found crawling through the icefall.

MIRACLE ON EVEREST ⛰️: After spending six days on Mount Everest without food, water or supplemental oxygen, 52-year-old guide Dawa Sherpa was found crawling toward base camp by a rescue team. The Sherpa is now in stable condition and recovering in a hospital in Kathmandu after… pic.twitter.com/xZrBGJd5Tx

— FOX Weather (@foxweather) June 10, 2026

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Rescuers immediately moved him to safety, provided food and water, and arranged for a helicopter evacuation to Kathmandu. He was transported to a hospital where his wife and daughter were waiting.

By the time Dawa arrived at the medical facility, his family had already accepted the possibility that he would never return home.

His daughter, Mendo Lhamu Sherpa, told The Associated Press that relatives were conducting funeral rituals when word arrived that he had been found alive.

"When we first heard about it (the rescue), we could not be sure if that person was indeed our father," she said. "So to be certain, we asked for photos to be sent, and then only we were sure and very happy."

His wife, Damu Sherpa, said the family first learned of the rescue through local news reports and calls from acquaintances.

"We first heard that he was still alive on the local news and from a person we know who called with the news that ... he is being brought down," she said.

Medical personnel reported that Dawa was suffering from frostbite and other complications associated with prolonged exposure to extreme conditions. However, family members said he was conscious and able to communicate.

"He recognized me … is good and speaks," his daughter told Reuters. "We are happy."

ALERT: Missing Mt. Everest tour guide was found miraculously alive above base camp after being missing for 6 days, as his family was already performing a funeral ritual.

Hillary Dawa Sherpa was pronounced missing on May 29th after his clients reached base camp without him.They… pic.twitter.com/GkwOe043U5— E X X ➠A L E R T S (@ExxAlerts) June 4, 2026

The circumstances surrounding Dawa’s survival remain unclear. According to reports, he spent nearly a week alone on Everest without food, water, or supplemental oxygen.

In a statement posted on social media, Nepal Mount Everest hiking company described the survival story as extraordinary.

"Dawa survived alone for nearly a week without food, water, or supplemental oxygen navigating the treacherous Khumbu Icefall (even after the fixed ladders were removed for the season)," the company stated. "This is nothing short of a miracle."

Questions remain about how Dawa became separated from the climber he was guiding during the descent and why search efforts did not immediately locate him. Helicopters were eventually deployed, but initial searches failed to find any trace of the missing guide.

His rescue came at the conclusion of one of the busiest climbing seasons in Everest history. Nepal issued a record 494 climbing permits this year, contributing to more than 1,000 climbers and guides reaching the summit.

Officials reported that five climbers and guides died on Everest during the season, according to Reuters.

Dawa’s rescue stands out as one of the most remarkable survival stories of the 2026 climbing season.

After nearly a week missing on the world's tallest mountain and with his family already mourning his loss, the veteran guide was found alive just as hope appeared to be gone.

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