Malaysian climber slammed for not thanking Sherpa who rescued him from Everest ‘death zone’
- Gelje Sherpa found Ravichandran Tharumalingam in the mountain’s infamous ‘death zone’, where oxygen is limited, and temperatures dip to minus 30 degrees Celsius
- In an Instagram post, Ravichandran thanked his rescue insurance and partner organisations, but omitted Gelje’s name
Ravichandran Tharumalingam was on death’s door when he was found on May 18 by mountain guide Gelje Sherpa and his Chinese client, who were on their way up to the top of Everest.
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Nepali Sherpa saves Malaysian climber in rare Everest 'death zone' rescue
Gelje found Ravichandran shivering from the cold, grasping a rope, and with no bottled oxygen, no Sherpas and no guides, he later told CNN in an interview.
Other teams climbed past Ravichandran, but Gelje persuaded his client to quit their ascent and attempt to save the stranded climber, he told the outlet.
Wrapping Ravichandran in his sleeping mat and carrying him on his back, Gelje brought the climber down to Everest’s Camp 4, where other Sherpas eventually assisted him.
It was a feat in itself – Gelje descended 570 metres (1,900 feet) at extreme altitude in six hours, all while carrying another man.
