Rescuer carried a dying climber for six hours, climber later blocked him

The Story in Brief

On the night of May 18, Gelje Sherpa of AGA Adventures found Malaysian climber Ravichandran Tharumalingam incapacitated in Everest’s “death zone” at the Balcony. Gelje, who was guiding a Chinese client, wrapped the climber in his sleeping mat, persuaded his client to forgo the summit and carried the man down to Camp 4 over six hours. At Camp 4 other sherpas helped, and Ravichandran was moved to Camp 3 and airlifted by helicopter to hospital. A 2023 video showed Gelje descending with the climber strapped to his back. After the rescue Ravichandran gave interviews in Malaysia and initially credited partner companies rather than naming Gelje; social media users alleged he blocked Gelje on Instagram and deleted comments. Ravichandran later posted a longer Instagram message naming Gelje and other sherpas and saying they brought him to about 7,300 metres for a helicopter pickup. Gelje has said the May 18 rescue was the hardest of more than 55 rescues he has carried out.

The Indian Opinion

Social media amplified partial accounts quickly, turning a documented rescue into a wider controversy. The viral footage and Gelje’s account show he carried an incapacitated climber from the Balcony and organised the descent, and Ravichandran later named Gelje and other sherpas. At the same time, accusations about deleted comments, blocking on Instagram and questions over summit claims spread before independent verification. Ordinary readers should note that the exact sequence of who organised each stage of the rescue remains unclear in public reporting; strong online judgements risk oversimplifying events while the demanding, risky work of sherpas merits clear acknowledgement and careful reporting.

Original article: He carried a dying climber for six hours; the man later blocked him (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

This story was summarised and commented on by AI from the source linked above.