Nepali Sherpa's Heroic Act: Saving Dying Climber On Mt. Everest Goes Viral

A Nepali Sherpa, identified as Gelje, saved a dying man by carrying him on his back and hiking for 6 hours back down the mountain to safety. The brave man was taking a private client up Mt. Everest on May 18 when he noticed a man, identified as a Malaysian climber named Ravichandran Tharumalingam, lying motionless just 500 meters from the summit. Gelje ran over, wrapped him in a sleeping mattress, gave him oxygen, put him on his back, and took him to safety in a brave rescue whose video has now gone viral on social media.

watch the rescue video here:

Climber slammed for not thanking sherpa

The sad part is that the ungrateful climber who survived due to the heroic efforts of the sherpa, did not thank his rescuer initially and thus drew the ire of people on social media. Tharumalingam wrote in an Instagram post, “I am alive today because I had the best and dedicated partners – the 14th Peals Expedition Co and Global Rescue Ins,” the climber said on Instagram.

His post drew backlash from netizens, and Gelje later very subtly put into words how he rescued Tharumalingam. Although he later put out a thank-you note for the Sherpa who saved his life.

Temperatures at the summit of Everest can dip to -30C or lower. Oxygen levels are such that climbers cannot last even a few minutes without the help of breathing apparatus.

This year, at least 12 climbers have died climbing Mt Everest. The number has broken many records, as it is the most in almost a decade.