A mountain Sherpa guide from Okhaldhunga, who had been missing for six days on Mount Everest, has been found alive in the Khumbu Icefall, expedition officials said.

Dawa Sherpa was recovered from the Khumbu Icefall, sliding and crawling through the snow, according to Pemba Sherpa, executive director of 8K Expeditions.

“He was found in a condition where he was slowly sliding down through the icefall. It is in itself an astonishing incident,” Pemba said, adding that Sherpa has suffered frostbite on his fingers and is being flown to Kathmandu for treatment.

A helicopter from Altitude Air was deployed from Kathmandu on Wednesday for the search and rescue operation in the Everest region.

Speaking from Lukla, Captain Bibek Khadka said the helicopter conducted an extensive search from Everest Base Camp at about 5,200 metres up to areas below Camp III, with two additional support personnel involved.

Khadka said the rescue team is moving towards the location where Sherpa was found, with plans to transport him to Base Camp before airlifting him to Kathmandu.

According to preliminary information, Dawa Sherpa had been assisting a Polish climber on an Everest ascent. He went missing on May 29 while descending from near Camp III, according to Himalayan Traverse Adventure Pvt. Ltd., the agency involved in the expedition.

Authorities said seven climbers and guides have died so far this season in the Everest and Makalu regions, underscoring the risks of high-altitude expeditions in Nepal.