A heroic rescue operation led by British climbers has saved a guide who was stranded near the summit of Mount Everest for six days, surviving in the 'death zone' where oxygen levels are barely sustainable. The guide, identified as Tenzing Norbu, a 32-year-old Sherpa from Nepal, was found alive but suffering from severe frostbite and exhaustion after being separated from his team during a sudden storm. The rescue, completed on Wednesday, involved a team of six elite mountaineers who risked their own safety to bring him down from an altitude of over 8,000 metres.
The operation, which took three days, used a combination of high-altitude drones for locational scanning and traditional climbing techniques. Norbu was airlifted to a hospital in Kathmandu, where he is in stable condition. The rescue has reignited debates about the ethics of high-altitude tourism, with critics arguing that commercial expeditions often prioritise profit over safety.
The British team, part of the Everest Rescue Alliance, reported that Norbu had no working communication devices and had survived on melted snow and a single energy bar. The rescue leader, Dr. James Hargreaves, stated: 'This is a stark reminder that the mountain demands respect.
We are grateful for the technology that allowed us to locate him, but human determination is what saved his life.' The incident has prompted calls for mandatory GPS trackers and better emergency protocols for all Everest expeditions.
