KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 — A Malaysia Everest 2023 climber Muhammad Hawari Hashim, who is person with a disability (PWD), is feared to have gone missing while descending from Camp 4 after conquering the world’s highest peak.

The matter was confirmed by the expedition leader Azim Afif Ishak who said the search operation was ongoing, when contacted by Bernama TV.

Muhammad Hawari, 33, who is hearing impaired Is believed to have gone missing when on his way to Camp 3 after reaching the summit of Mount Everest, which is 8,848 metres above sea level, on Thursday.

Azim Afif said, the climber has been missing for almost 24 hours and the last he heard from Hawari was when he was at Camp 4.

Meanwhile, Nepal’s English daily media The Himalayan Times in quoting expedition operator Pioneer Adventure director, Nivest Karki, said Hawari had been missing since Friday and search efforts are still underway.

Hawari was among the first group to the summit of Everest, together with another climber, Kedah Civil Defence Force director, Lt Col Awang Askandar Ampuan Yaacub.

However, Awang Askandar, 56, was confirmed to have died after falling while climbing Mount Everest.

Meanwhile, another climber Ayu Wanirah Naharuddin, 30, said the team was now trying to locate Muhammad Hawari by air on a chartered helicopter, adding Azim Afif and Pioneer Adventure sherpa, Ngaa Tenji were looking for Muhammad Hawari along the routes commonly used by climbers.

“By using a helicopter, the search can be done in about 45 minutes and I hope Muhammad Hawari can be found immediately,” she said.

Ayu Wanirah said Muhammad Hawari and a sherpa were resting at Camp 4 after successfully conquering the world’s highest peak.

“I was told that the sherpa fell asleep for about an hour due to exhaustion, but after waking up he found that Muhammad Hawari was not in the tent and tried to look for him around Camp 4, but could not find him,” she said.

According to her, immediately after finding out about the incident, they hired eight sherpas to help search Camp 1 to Camp 4, but the effort has yet to bear fruit.

Organised by Altitude Exploration Club, Malaysia Everest 2023 started the two-month mission to conquer the world’s highest peak on April 2 with the support of the government and the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS).

The mission also seeks to promote unity and build the Malaysian nation through ethnic diversity. — Bernama