Missing Sherpa guide found on Mount Everest after 'miracle' self-rescue

A Nepali climbing guide thought to have died on Mount Everest has been found crawling down to Base Camp, six days after he was last seen alive.

Dawa Sherpa was last seen above Camp 3, at around 7,500m (24,600ft), while coming down the mountain after summiting.

Hopes for his survival were slim as the air at that altitude is thin - but on Thursday, a cleaning crew spotted the experienced climber, who had frostbite on his hands but appeared to be in good health, sliding slowly down.

"Dawa managed to survive against all odds for days. It's nothing short of a miracle," said Pemba Sherpa, executive director of 8K Expeditions which was overseeing search efforts. "This is a true self-rescue."

Five people have died so far in this year's climbing, three of them Nepalis who were involved in the Everest preparations, according to news agency AFP.

More than 1,000 reached the Everest summit this season, making it the busiest on record.

Dawa Sherpa - also known as Hillary Dawa Sherpa after famed mountaineer Edmund Hillary - was "slowly sliding through" the Khumbu Icefall toward Base Camp when he was found, Pemba Sherpa said.

"As far as I know, no one has survived alone at that altitude on Everest so far. This is a miracle to have survived for six days alone and descended safe. I think he must have lived inside the tents to keep himself safe," said Pemba Sherpa.