Australian mountaineer Lincoln Hall, 50, survived an unplanned night in the open near the summit of Mount Everest after colleagues had already reported him dead. Russian expedition leader Alexander Abramov had announced Friday that Hall collapsed from acute altitude sickness roughly 150 meters below the peak and died while sherpas attempted to bring him down.
It later emerged that the two sherpas assisting Hall ran out of oxygen and left him behind. An American climber subsequently discovered Hall alive and radioed for help, prompting a rescue team of around 10 sherpas and a Russian doctor to reach him. He was brought to the North Col camp at approximately 7,000 meters.
Abramov noted Saturday that Hall was being treated in a heated tent and was suffering from acute brain edema, hypoxia, disorientation, and resistance to those caring for him.
Hall is a prominent figure in Australian mountaineering, having been part of the first Australian Everest team in 1984, and has written several books on exploration. His current expedition also included 15-year-old Christopher Harris, who had been attempting to become the youngest person to summit Everest but turned back due to breathing difficulties.
The episode is expected to renew debate over the ethics of commercial Everest expeditions, following last week's death of British climber David Sharp, who was passed by dozens of other climbers as he lay dying on the mountain.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in May 2006, in its own words.