According to Chinese media, the 50-year-old woman surnamed Liu from Hunan province, central China, was discovered by compatriot Fan Jiangtao in a critical condition due to lack of oxygen, trembling limbs, even missing gloves, bruised hands... when about 400m from Mount Everest on May 18.5.
Fan decided to save Liu by asking his Nepali guide to escort him for help and thus, Fan had to give up his dream of reaching Everest.
Liu was taken to the base camp and was safely treated
The guide, the strongest climber of them all, was initially reluctant to help, so Fan offered $10.000 in rescue costs.
This guide charges a standard fee of between $8.000 and $10.000 to help climbers reach the summit of Everest by guiding them through inclement weather, preparing gear, and carrying a variety of gear.
The two men carried Liu about 200 meters down the mountain when they reached their limits due to extreme weather conditions. Fan then met Xie Ruxiang, a member of Hunan Provincial Mountaineering Association. Xie agrees to join forces in the rescue, while abandoning the plan to climb to the top.
The Sherpa guide then carries Liu on his back while Xie and Fan take turns raising her legs to help increase blood flow as they descend to base camp. There, she was treated for several days before recovering.
However, Liu refused to return the full amount to Fan and Xie because the two had paid the Nepali guide $10.000 in advance. Not to mention, each person paid 1.800 USD tip to the guide. For the $10.000 rescue fee, Liu said she only paid 4.000.
“I prepared a plan to climb Everest in 40 days and spent 400.000 yuan ($56.000) to achieve this goal. I don't want to give up on my plan to conquer the top of the mountain. Furthermore, the rescue fee was paid by me. I do not know what to say. I just wonder why she is so reluctant to pay," Fan said.
“Xie and I feel bad about this incident. So far, she hasn't even said thank you to us. She is so ungrateful! We don't want anything to do with her from now on," Fan added.
Fn and Xie spent tens of thousands of dollars but couldn't climb Everest because they saved Liu
The story caught the attention of the whole of mainland China, being viewed 300 million times on Weibo alone.
“After this story, will the climbers save or help others on Mount Everest? I think maybe not. This woman has extinguished the hope of other climbers who have difficulty climbing Everest," one person commented.
“We should take her back to the top of the mountain,” another commented. “Does she have a conscience? Isn't her life worth $10.000?"
