The search for Suhajda Szilard, stranded on Everest since Wednesday, has ended. The sherpa team couldn’t find him at the spot he was seen on May 25, at the bottom of the Hillary Step.
“They spent hours searching the wider area of the Hillary Step, climbing up and down several times between 8,750 meters and the 8,848-meter summit, looking for Szilard’s tracks, to no avail,” Szilard’s home team reported.
“Considering the time, weather, and terrain conditions, there is no further chance of finding the climber alive, so the ground search has been terminated. Currently, the safe return of the sherpas participating in the search is the priority.”
The rescuers left Camp 2 at 6,400m at 10:00 am Nepal time yesterday. They reached Camp 4 at 7,950m extremely quickly, in seven hours, the home team said.
“There, a fourth Sherpa and a helper were waiting for them in a tent. One of them planned to join the searchers, the other’s task was to provide the others with food and drink.”
After a short rest, at 7:15 pm Nepal time, they set off from Camp 4 toward the South Summit (8,750m). They found nothing. Finally, they made the decision to end the search. Tomorrow, a final helicopter flight will search the mountain above Camp 2.
Suhajda Szilard was trying to become the first Hungarian climber to summit Everest without supplementary oxygen or personal sherpa support. In 2014, he climbed 8,051m Broad Peak. Then in 2019, he became the first and so far only Hungarian to summit 8,611m K2. Finally, in 2022 he climbed 8,516m Lhotse without supplemental oxygen or the help of sherpas carrying his loads.
