RESCUERS working to find climber Muhammad Hawari Hashim, 33, who was reported missing on his descent of Mount Everest, may be challenging if he fell to the foothills of Mount Lhotse, Malaysia’s first Everest climber M. Magendran said.

Magendran said Lhotse’s slopes are steep, and if a climber slipped, they could fall to the foothills full of glaciers covered in shards and fissures.

“Lhotse’s foothills are wide-ranging and (rescuers) need a long time to perform their search, plus the fissures in the ice… If the victim slipped into them, it would complicate the search,” he said when interviewed on Bernama TV today.

Magendran, who conquered Everest in 1997, said even though the search for Hawari is challenging, it is not impossible to find him.

He said in 1997, a sherpa (Everest guide) who slipped and fell from a 1,000m Lhotse slope was found.

He said a point of concern is whether Hawari, who is hearing-impaired, has enough oxygen for his journey down Lhotse’s dangerous slopes.

“If he used oxygen during his ascent to Everest’s peak, he won’t have enough oxygen in his tank to descend to Camp 4… But he may have changed tanks along the way.

“So I’m not sure if our friend changed oxygen tanks or brought extra oxygen when he decided to descend to Camp 3 or Camp 2… this is something we don’t know. If there isn’t enough oxygen, one could experience acute mountain sickness, which can cause illusions,” he said.

Hawari is among the Malaysian Everest 2023 participants reported missing during the team’s descent from Camp 4 after it conquered the peak of the world’s highest mountain.

A day earlier, fellow participant and Kedah Civil Defence Force director Awang Askandar Ampuan Yaacub, 56, died on the mountain.

The Malaysian Everest mission, organised by the Altitude Exploration Club and joined by expedition chief Azim Afif Ishak and Vincent Tiong Ling Yang, was backed by the Youth and Sports Ministry.

Seven Summits climber and National Grand Slam explorer Muhamad Muqharabbin Mokhtarrudin said the Youth and Sports Ministry and the organiser should launch a comprehensive investigation as these two incidents are the first such mishaps since 1997 involving Malaysian Everest climbers. – Bernama, May 21, 2023.