Former soldier abandons Everest ascent 500m away from finish to save fellow climber's life

Leslie Binns abandoned his own climb to save the stranger
Leslie Binns

An ex-soldier has been hailed a hero for abandoning his Everest climb only metres away from the summit to save a fellow mountaineer.

Leslie Binns, 42, was 12 hours away from making his final ascent when he saw a woman sliding down the mountain towards him.

After seeing that Sunita Hazra, 32, needed help Mr Binns told his Sherpa to abandon their climb and take her back to camp.

He told the BBC: “All we could hear were the screams of terror as the person gained momentum. I braced myself to try and stop whoever it was, and managed to do so.”

Giving her his spare oxygen bottle, the pair made it back to Mr Binns’ camp on May 21 where Ms Hazra, from Kolkata, India, was taken to hospital.

Ms Hazra’s brother. Kingshuk Chatterjee, told the BBC that Mr Binns was ‘the reason she was still alive now’ and said their family ‘cannot express our gratitude.

Mr Binns, from Barnsley, served in the army for 13 years before being blinded in his left eye in an explosion in Afghanistan.

During a distinguished career serving in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanista, he was awarded two medals, including the Queen's Commendation for Bravery.

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