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KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A Malaysian climber was recovered alive near the summit of Mount Annapurna in Nepal on Thursday, a trekking company said, two days after he went missing.
Climber Wui Kin Chin was spotted by a search party in a helicopter and was being taken by four rescuers to the closest camp, said Mingma Sherpa, the head of Seven Summit Treks. He said the helicopter, one of three deployed to search for him, had seen him waving his hands at the aircraft Thursday morning.
Sherpa, whose company organized the trek, said Chin appeared to be fine but was not in a condition to walk.
Chin was a part of a 13-member expedition led by a French climber and was separated from the others while descending from the treacherous peak.
Sherpa said Chin, an anesthesiologist, would be brought to Kathmandu on Friday. He said the accomplished climber had been without an oxygen bottle, food and water for over 40 hours.
"It's a big thing to stay alive in that altitude without food, water, and oxygen," said Sherpa. He said Chin's medical knowledge and his familiarity with mountains kept him alive.
The 8,091-meter (26,545-foot) Mount Annapurna is the ninth tallest mountain in Nepal and the 10th tallest in the world.
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