Veteran Mountaineer Carries Out High-Altitude Rescue During Everest Descent

A mountaineering expedition including world-record-holding climber Nirmal Purja carried out a high-altitude rescue after they discovered a struggling climber near the South Summit of Mount Everest in Nepal on Tuesday, May 16.

Purja is a veteran mountaineer who has climbed all 14 of the world’s “death zone” peaks (those over 8,000 meters, where oxygen is insufficient to sustain human life more than 20 hours).

His expedition encountered a stranded Nepalese army captain named Dipendra Singh Khatri at the South Summit (8,749 m) of Mount Everest while descending from the summit.

Purja said the climber had been stranded at the South Summit overnight, in the death zone.

“Together we brought the climber all the way down to Camp 4 (7,950 m) and there we handed the climber into the care of two Sherpas from the other guiding company," Purja said. “I am very proud of my elite exped team and clients – on the mountain we are all one community and we look out for each other.”

Purja has since posted a picture to Instagram of himself and Khatri, who is in recovery after being medically evacuated from lower down Mount Everest. Credit: Copyright @Nimsdai via Storyful