Climber Says Dying Man Couldn’t Be Saved
A New Zealand mountaineer criticized for failing to rescue a dying British climber on Mt. Everest said there was nothing he could have done to save the man. Mark Inglis, a double amputee, was answering criticism by Everest pioneer Sir Edmund Hillary.
David Sharp, 34, died just below the summit, apparently from oxygen deprivation suffered during his solo descent. More than 40 climbers are thought to have seen Sharp as he lay dying.
Inglis said Sharp was close to death when his party stopped, tried to give oxygen and sent a distress call. Inglis said there was virtually no hope that Sharp could have been carried to safety from the 26,247-foot altitude.
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