KATHMANDU: A US-based Pakistani woman mountaineer who was planning a summit push on Mt. Everest was evacuated from Camp II this morning, said an expedition organizer.

Mingma Sherpa, Chairman at Seven Summit Treks, informed that Dr. Shehla Sheikh, who fell ill at Camp II while heading for the South Col last night, was airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment.

Dr. Sheikh had been suffering from hematemesis since last evening and was taken care of by Sherpa climbers at Camp II throughout the night, he shared. “By mobilizing a helicopter, she was picked up early this morning and airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment,” Mingma added. Her condition is now stable, and she is being treated at CIWEC hospital.

Interventional nephrologist Dr. Sheikh was part of Broadboy Adventures, owned by record-holding mountaineer Shehroze Kashi, and locally handled by SST. She had planned to make the fastest traverse of Mt. Everest and Lhotse this season, according to the organizer. Dr. Sheikh is the first Pakistani woman mountaineer to have climbed Mt. Kanchenjunga last year.

“My Everest journey has been eventful, to say the least. Getting hit and buried by a serac, losing my original Sherpa partner to a helicopter evacuation after the accident, pushing through injury to complete the rotation, then resting and rebuilding for one final push upward. Now it’s time for the summit push,” Dr. Sheikh posted a day earlier.

Lakpa Sherpa, Managing Director and Expedition Leader of 8K Expeditions, informed that Ukrainian climber Vasyl Mytryuk and a Sherpa climber who suffered from snow blindness during their descent from the Mt. Everest summit yesterday were safely rescued by other Sherpa climbers. “They were safely brought to South Col last night and are now descending to lower camps,” Lakpa shared. Vasyl was part of an expedition led by record-holding climber Valentyn Sypavin. At least 20 climbers, including nine foreigners from 8K Expeditions, scaled Mt. Everest on May 17.