In what climbers are calling a miracle, a 52-year-old Sherpa guide, who was presumed dead after he went missing while descending Mount Everest on May 29, was found alive near base camp on Thursday morning, six days later.Dawa ‘Hillary’ Sherpa – who earned the nickname for her mountaineering expertise – climbed more than 12 km from the Yellow Band (25,000 ft) to Crampon Point (17,000 ft) in difficult weather without food, water or supplemental oxygen, crossing the dangerous Khumbu Icefall after the climbing season ended and ropes and ladders were removed on the route.His family, having lost hope, were reciting prayers for his funeral when they were told that Dawa had survived, searching for food, water and remnants of discarded bottled oxygen from the surviving tent.Dawa was descending after climbing Everest at 5 pm on May 28 with a group that included British climber Chris Thrall, a former Royal Marine and a Polish climber, when he was last seen near the Yellow Band on May 29. Reports state that the Polish climber reached base camp, but claimed not to be reached. Thrall also “paid tribute” to Dawa on social media, saying “RIP… Mero Dai”. Rest in peace, my big brother.In a 13-minute video posted on Instagram on Wednesday, Thrall said, “Dawa sat down to rest with his backpack. These guys carry heavy stuff…” He added that he examined Dawa before moving on. “I turned to him and said, ‘Hillary, are you okay brother?’ He said, ‘Yes, yes, I’m fine, Chris.’ Please go.”Thrall said that as he descended, he saw a Polish climber from his team who “had frostbite and was out of supplemental oxygen”. He said, “I come from the British Royal Marines – we are taught to never leave anyone behind… I only have half a tank of oxygen left. Do I take the Polish climber who has frostbite, or go back for the Sherpa who will likely recover and do just fine as he has done hundreds of times before? His account of events has not been independently verified.Thrall said he shared oxygen with the Polish climber and descended with him, and later reported Dawa missing after reaching lower camps. After mounting online criticism over why he did not return for the claim, Thrall said he was tired of being called a “killer” on social media. Once Dava was found alive, Thrall said he was “overjoyed and happy for her and her wonderful family”.The Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) cleaning team, which was removing root equipment, spotted Dawa near Crampon Point and brought him down before he was taken to a Kathmandu hospital due to frostbite and other complications. “He is in intensive care but out of danger,” a doctor at Kathmandu’s HAMS hospital said.Dawa’s family had already begun funeral prayers when news of the rescue arrived, but the first call brought disbelief rather than relief. “We couldn’t be sure that the man was really our father,” said his daughter Mhendo Lhamo Sherpa. “We asked to send pictures and only then were we convinced and very happy.” After meeting him in hospital, Mhendo said, “He recognized me… is well and speaks. We are happy.”For the climbers and guides, what was most important was not only that Dawa survived for nearly six days without supplies, but that he passed through active crevasses and broken areas. Nima Tenzing Sherpa, an independent high-altitude guide, told times of India“Two days in a crevasse deep below Camp I after a whole week in the death zone? Surviving on ice and a packet of biscuits at that altitude is an incredible feat of mental strength. Most people would lie down and accept the end, but Dawa chose to fight. He is the tiger of the mountains.”Many guides and climbers have raised questions about the delay in search and rescue response to the claim. Mingma Si Sherpa, an independent high-altitude porter, told TOI that climbers often make “dangerous assumptions” about Sherpas because of their experience and achievements at altitude. “Foreign climbers believe we are invincible – a dangerous mentality but a normal mentality. When a client is led by a specific guide so they can relax, they trust that expertise. Thrall made a textbook choice of survival in brutal circumstances.Others accused the Kathmandu-based agency that hired Dawa of “negligence and indifference”. Pasang Geljen Sherpa, an independent expedition logistics coordinator, told TOI, “It is absolutely shameful that Himalayan Traverse overtook him in the race to the finish. This is the dark side of commercial Everest – when the clock runs out, commercial teams disappear, and guides become disposable. Dawa saved himself; his agency gave him no chance.“Attempts were made to reach Himalayan Travers through text messages and calls for comment on the allegations, but his phones remained switched off.