Last week, a cleaning team combing the perilous upper slopes of Mount Everest for rubbish spotted a man in a bright blue summit suit at the foot of the Khumbu Icefall. It was Hillary Dawa Sherpa, a climbing guide who got separated from his clients while descending the mountain six days earlier. He had been presumed dead. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.

The 57-year-old was found frostbitten and exhausted but could sit upright and talk. He was later airlifted to a hospital in Kathmandu. His miraculous survival made international headlines and sent shockwaves through the mountaineering community.

However, it also raises troubling questions for the high-altitude tourism industry. Himalayan Traverse Adventure (HTA), the company Hillary Dawa worked for, maintains that all its processes were above board and that poor weather hampered rescue efforts. But many are asking whether the company did enough to look after its guides.

Hillary Dawa was hired as a camp cook – why then was he leading clients up the mountain? Why was a search launched only three days after he disappeared? The Sherpa's family has filed a police report accusing HTA of negligence, and Nepal's tourism department is investigating.

HTA initially employed Hillary Dawa as a cook for Camp 2 but ended up using him as a substitute for a guide who fell sick at Base Camp. He took the assignment because he wanted to earn extra money, HTA manager Angfurba Sherpa told the BBC.

Hillary Dawa accompanied two clients: British climber Chris Thrall and Polish climber Mariusz Chmielewski, along with fellow guide Pasang Kaji Sherpa. The group started their descent from Camp 4 on 29 May. Pasang Kaji and Chmielewski went first as Chmielewski was running out of oxygen. Thrall followed behind with Hillary Dawa.

Thrall said Hillary Dawa stopped to rest on his backpack above Camp 3 at around 7,500m. When Thrall asked if he was okay, Hillary Dawa said, "Yes, yes, I'm fine Chris, please go." Thrall described his dilemma: "Do I go back for the Sherpa who's probably going to rock up and be fine, or do I help my fellow climber who's got no oxygen, frostbite, and is never far off hypothermia?"

Responding to allegations that he left Hillary Dawa to die, Thrall said he had half a tank of oxygen left and going back up would have taken almost all of it. He shared his dwindling oxygen with Chmielewski as they descended in a severe snowstorm. Both recorded farewell messages. The group took 38 hours to reach Base Camp, assuming Hillary Dawa was dead.

Chmielewski accused HTA of negligence, saying, "Hillary Dawa was left alone; he rescued himself. This shows the sad truth about how Himalayan Traverse regards its employees." He claimed Pasang Kaji notified the company on 30 May that Hillary Dawa was missing, but no search was launched until days later. Chmielewski believes the company should lose its licence.

Hillary Dawa maintains he was "forced to stay behind" near Camp 3 because he had run out of oxygen and could no longer walk.