Awang Askandar, 56, was confirmed dead on Friday after falling during his climb to the peak of Mount Everest while Hawari, 33, was feared lost when descending from Camp 4 after reaching the peak of the world’s highest mountain at 8,848m.

“This time, I was in front of them and I also faced tough challenges of extreme weather in my descent from Mount Everest,” Bernama reported him as saying on returning home at KLIA here today.

He was part of the 2023 Himalayan Sports Everest-Lhotse Expedition.

Ravichandran said he managed to reach the top of Mount Everest on May 17 and waved the Jalur Gemilang and his sponsor’s flag on the mountain.

He began the descent from Mount Everest the next day to scale Mount Lhotse (the fourth-highest mountain in the world at a height of 8,516m) but he had to be rescued and taken to Kathmandu for treatment due to frostbite on a finger.

For Ravichandran, 58, the mission with the expedition was to set a record as the first Malaysian climber to conquer the summit of Mount Lhotse after raising the flag at the peak of Mount Everest within 24 hours.

This is the fourth time Ravichandran has reached the peak.

Ravichandran said he often met Awang Askandar and Hawari at the Everest Base Camp to rest and drink together.

“Climbers are usually friendly, not to mention that there were only five Malaysians. So we were very close like a family, regardless of race, religion or age.

“On the day heading to the top of Everest, Hawari was with me from Tent 1 to Tent 2. He is a great guy, even though he is mute and deaf. Every time we meet, we always hug and tap each other’s head,” he said with tears in his eyes.

He prayed that Hawari would be found safely even though the search mission was quite challenging due to the weather.

Ravichandran said every mistake experienced by Malaysian Everest climbers needs to be reviewed to reduce the risks in the mission to conquer the highest mountain in the world.

“We cannot underestimate the risks when it comes to conquering Mount Everest,” he said.