A cleaning team was combing Mount Everest's perilous upper slopes last Thursday when they spotted a man in a bright blue summit suit crawling at the foot of the Khumbu Icefall. It was Hillary Dawa Sherpa, a climbing guide who got separated from his clients six days earlier and was presumed dead.

The 57-year-old, frostbitten and exhausted, could still sit upright and talk before being airlifted to a hospital in Kathmandu. His family had already begun funeral rites. News of his miraculous survival made international headlines and sent shockwaves through the mountaineering community.

However, the incident raises troubling questions for the booming high-altitude tourism industry and highlights the deadly risks Sherpas face. Himalayan Traverse Adventure (HTA), the company Hillary Dawa worked for, maintains all processes were above board and that poor weather hampered rescue efforts.

But many are questioning whether the company, known for offering packages below market rates, did enough to look after their guides. Hillary Dawa was hired as a camp cook but ended up leading clients up the 8,849m peak. His family has filed a police report accusing HTA of negligence, and Nepal's tourism department is investigating.

British climber Chris Thrall and Polish climber Mariusz Chmielewski, who were with Hillary Dawa, have also criticized the company. Chmielewski said Hillary Dawa was left alone and rescued himself, calling it 'the sad truth about how HTA regards its employees.' HTA claims the clients refused to pay for a more experienced guide.

Hillary Dawa himself said he ran out of oxygen and couldn't walk. He survived on chocolates and melted ice, fell into a crevasse, and escaped after an avalanche. He was found by the cleaning team near Camp 3. Now recovering in hospital, his family demands justice.

Source: www.bbc.com