SEPANG: Climber Muhammad Illaham Ishak, who had been stranded during a climbing expedition to Mount Denali in Alaska, United States, has revealed that he decided to descend to camp five on the mountain by himself to arrange a private helicopter to help his friends who were trapped due to bad weather on May 28.
He said despite the risk of going down alone on the 15-hour journey from the top of the mountain to get emergency help, the move had to be taken immediately as Zulkifli Yusuf’s condition had worsened, and he had injured his leg.
"I actually went down to find a private helicopter to go directly to pick up Ajoi (Zulkifli) at the Football Field, but there was no service, only rangers, and they couldn't go up because of the bad weather.
"The rangers looked at my hands and feet and said I had High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema (Hape) and told me to come down immediately and not wait long.
"It is true that the helicopter that was there at the time was supposed to take Ajoi through a bucket, then take me and go down, but considering the bad weather and my health, they decided to take me first," he told the media after arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Sunday (June 9) night.
His arrival at KLIA was greeted with shouts of thanks and "Allahu Akhbar" by his family and friends who had been anxiously awaiting his return following the tragedy that befell him and two other Malaysian climbers after successfully conquering Mount Denali on May 27.
Muhammad Illaham, who is also the Malaysian Alpine Tour Club president, said that once he was brought down, he was immediately taken to the hospital and admitted to the emergency ward because he suffered level three frostbite.
At the same time, Muhammad Illaham expressed concern about the condition of Zulkifli and Zainudin Lot, who were at the Football Field at a height of 5,791 metres between the Denali peak and Camp Five.
"I hoped that on May 29, the helicopter would be able to go up, but apparently it could not take them because of the bad weather.
"On May 31, the ranger was able to go up but everyone was surprised because apparently Ajoi had left us two days earlier. I was really surprised when I was told by Wisma Putra," he said, adding that he was relieved that another friend, Zainudin, managed to be brought down using a bucket.
Zulkifli reportedly died at 6am local time on May 29 while taking shelter in a snow cave known as the 'Football Field', with the cause of death suspected to be Hape.
His body was safely brought down from the incident scene at 8.30am on June 1 local time, with the help of local authorities.
Muhammad Illaham also expressed gratitude to Allah for surviving the ordeal.
"I surrendered to God since the night of the storm and until today, I have faced many challenges. Indeed, it is Allah who helps with everything, and thanks to the prayers of all family and friends," he said.
Muhammad Illaham, along with two other climbers, Zainudin, 48, and Zulkifli, 37, had reached the summit of Mount Denali at a height of 6,190 metres at around 11pm on May 27 (local time).
Muhammad Illaham has previously completed climbs of some of the highest peaks including Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, Mount Elbrus in Russia, Mount Everest in Nepal, Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, and Mount Carstensz in Indonesia. – Bernama
