An Uzbek team found Francis on May 23rd frostbitten and on the verge of death. They removed her to a lower location but since their oxygen ran out, they left her to make their own descent. They even passed Sergei along the way down who was making his way up. Tragically Sergei died in his attempt to rescue his wife as he simply vanished.
Image Source: www.drugisvet.com
On May 24th mountaineer Cathy O Dowd and Ian Woodall found Francis jerking rapidly on an Area called “first step” She was still attached to her climbing line and kept murmuring “don’t leave me here”. Humanity prevailed for once and the couple stayed almost an hour with Francis trying to save her.
Image Source: twimg.com
Unfortunately, nothing could be done for Francis in spite of repeated attempts to keep her conscious. The couple finally made a painful decision because their own oxygen had run out. They left her and returned to their own camp. Francis died that day her body remaining in that position where she was given the name “Sleeping beauty of Everest”. In 2007, Woodall returned to the mountain and deposited her body to a lower location where she remains there enshrined into the landscape of the mountain.
Image Source: marriagering.club
When David Sharp summitted Everest successfully on his third attempt without oxygen he would have become a legend but today he is still a legend although a dead one. During his descent he found his way to the cave that was the resting place of green boots, Sharpe sat next to the body with his legs drawn to his chest. He was exhausted and suffering from severe frostbite. He didn’t die right away. Through his traumatic and painful ordeal he was passed by 40 mountaineers who noticed he was alive but none stopped to help him despite his pleas to do so. Sharp died soon after and his death resulted in an outrage questioning the so-called code of the mountain. Everest pioneer and the first summiteers Sir Edmund Hillary remarked.
“The whole attitude toward climbing Mount Everest has become rather horrifying,” Hillary said. “A human life is far more important than just getting to the top of a mountain.”
Image Source:millionaire.ru