Sherpa saves Mount Everest climber's life by hauling him through snow for hours

Two Sherpas carried an injured climber for six hours in a miraculous Mount Everest rescue, as ITV News' Martha Fairlie reports

A Nepali Sherpa guide rescued a climber from Mount Everest's freezing "death zone", hauling him to safety over a taxing six hours.

Gelje Sherpa was guiding a client up the world's tallest mountain on May 18 when he spotted a Malaysian climber clinging to a rope, shivering and barely breathing.

The climber, in his 40s, had faltered in an area of Mount Everest called the "death zone", where temperatures can drop to a life-threatening -30°C.

Gelje Sherpa convinced his client to abandon reaching Everest's summit, arguing that saving the struggling Malaysian man was more important.

Gelje and another Sherpa then took turns to drag and carry the man through the snow. Trussed up in thick sleeping bag, the man was carried down from 8,500 metres above sea level over the course of six hours.

Gelje Sherpa told ITV News: "That guy, he was about to die. I needed to bring him down to save his life.

"That part was a very dangerous part and a very rocky part. We're very glad to save his life."

Tourism officials in Nepal said the feet was a very rare, high-altitude rescue.

After he had been hauled down by the Sherpas, the Malaysian climber was lifted to base camp by a helicopter using a long line.

He is now back in Malaysia, knowing he owes his life to two fearless sherpas.

Over 70 years, Sherpa guides have used their expertise and skill to help thousands of foreign climbers scale the risky Mount Everest.

Hundreds of foreign climbers and a similar number of Nepalese guides and helpers attempted to scale the 8,849-metre mountain during the main climbing season, which began in March and ended in late May.

At least 12 people during this period.

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