Sherpa Rescues Climber From Everest’s ‘Death Zone’ — Internet Hails ‘Heroic Act’

A Nepali Sherpa is receiving widespread acclaim for his remarkable and nearly impossible feat, as he successfully accomplished a daring rescue mission in the treacherous “death zone” of Mount Everest.

Gelje Sherpa, a courageous 36-year-old, was guiding a client toward the summit on the morning of May 18, 2023, when he spotted a stranded Malaysian climber. The climber was desperately clinging to a rope, isolated and trembling from the bitter cold in an area known as the death zone, situated above 26,247 feet (8,000 metres). Without hesitation, Gelje made the decision to abandon his own summit push and prioritised bringing the climber safely back to the camp. Displaying incredible strength and endurance, Gelje carried the exhausted climber on his back for nearly six hours, finally getting him some much-needed medical attention.

Gelje’s heroic act has garnered immense admiration and praise.

Sharing the video of the entire incident on his Instagram handle, Gelje divulged details about the rescue, adding that the man is alive and recovering in the hospital.

“At the Balcony during our summit push around 8,300m I saw someone in danger. A man who needed rescuing and no one else was helping. 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 to Camp 4 where a rescue team helped from then on. I will be back up the mountain soon after regaining energy from a huge task but I am so happy to say he is alive and recovering in hospital,” he wrote in the post.

The video was also shared by the official Twitter handle of Everest. Hailing Gelje’s heroic display of strength and endurance, it wrote, “Kudos to Gelje Sherpa for his heroic act! When faced with a choice between personal glory and a fellow climber’s safety, he unhesitatingly rescued the Malaysian climber from the treacherous height of #Everest near Balcony (~8300 m). His act of courage shines as bright as the Himalayan sun.”

The sherpa is also receiving immense appreciation on the internet, with people lauding his gesture and unbelievable endurance.

One user wrote, “Sherpas are superHuman”, while another commented, “Salute to the real life hero.”

“That’s insane. It’s bad enough just to walk on your own but to carry someone else at that clip of speed. Wow,” a third user said.

Source: Bureau