Sherpa Found Alive After Six Days in Everest's Death Zone

Hillary Dawa Sherpa, 52, disappeared May 29 at 25,000 feet on Mount Everest's Southeast Ridge. Found June 4 crawling near Base Camp after descending 7,500 vertical feet without food, water, or oxygen, he survived terrain that typically kills experienced climbers. His Sherpa genetics and gradual altitude descent likely enabled survival; he's now in Kathmandu hospital. The rescue has intensified scrutiny of Nepal's permit and emergency-response protocols.