On the way down from his no-oxygen attempt to summit Everest, Saulius Damulevicius fell sick and needed help from Camp 3 to Camp 2. However, the rescue was not as dramatic as preliminary information suggested.
Yesterday, after nightfall, SummitClimb expedition leader shared the following post on social media:
Post by Dan Mazur on May 27 on his Instagram feed.
The post caused alarm among readers on social media as it suggested a climber had been abandoned by his team. However, the reality was different.
The climber in the tent was Saulius Damulevicius, who had attempted to summit Everest without supplementary oxygen. Saulius climbed alone, without Sherpa support. He tried to reach the summit of Everest on May 27 but turned around at 8,400m and returned to Camp 4.
Damulevicius’ tent had been previously damaged by the wind, so he went inside one belonging to SummitClimb.
Saulius Damulevicius at Camp 4 before the summit push three days ago. Photo shared over InReach: Povilas Lengvinas
Differing accounts
Now, here is where the two versions differ.
Damulevicius told his home team he met a Sherpa from SummitClimb at Camp 4 and talked to him for some minutes, but didn’t receive any help, including oxygen or water. He left Camp 4 on his own. Shortly afterward, on the way to Camp 3, he felt sick. He took some medicine and warned about his state over InReach. He then continued down, according to Tadas Jersovas, a fellow Lithuanian who was in regular contact with Saulius.
“I was the main contact for Saulius, and upon receiving the InReach message, I contacted Saulius’s outfitter, Satori Adventures, and the Global Rescue Insurance company, as well as all the teams that I knew that had members or Sherpas at Camp 4 or above: Seven Summit Treks, EliteExped, and Summit Climb,” Tadas Jersovas said.
“Saulius was able to descend to Camp 3 on his own. There, he was met by two Sherpas from Himalayan Guides [sent by Satori Adventure] who had come up from Camp 2 to help him. With their extra support, Damulevicius made it to Camp 2, from which he was airlifted this morning,” Jersovas told ExplorersWeb.
Damulevicius is now safely back in Kathmandu and undergoing tests at the hospital.
We reached out to Dan Mazur for clarification, but at time of posting, we have not received a response.
In the meantime, all climbers who reached or attempted the summit early on May 27 are now back in Base Camp or, in most cases, in Kathmandu. Sherpa workers have already dismantled the upper camps and are now retrieving tents from Camp 2 and Camp 1. Unless there is some emergency, the route across the Khumbu Icefall will close tomorrow.
