Here is a summary of the event: Emma Keen, a 42-year-old British woman, was gored by a yak while hiking near Mount Everest. The attack occurred as she was Face Timing her family, leaving her with a severe three-inch gash in her leg. Despite the injury, Emma Keen showed remarkable resilience by continuing her climb to fulfill a promise made to her late mother. She was airlifted to a hospital where she received medical treatment, including stitches, and later rejoined her group to complete the final stretch of her journey on horseback. The charity fundraiser was trekking to Everest’s base camp to raise funds for a kidney charity, inspired by her brother who is currently on the transplant waiting list.
Emma’s determination to carry on despite the attack and her commitment to her charitable cause have been widely reported and commended.
Some details
Emma is a retail worker from Bridgend, South Wales. She was on a charity hiking project to raise money and remarkably after the attack she returned to her hiking. She was raising funds for the Kidney Wales charity. She said that “it was important that I continue with the trek as it meant so much to me. My charity means a lot to me as my brother Peter is currently on the transplant list desperately needing a kidney.”
About the attack she said that it happened without warning. She added that “without warning, I could hear the hooves pounding towards me, a sharp stabbing pain in the top of my leg. It threw me up in the air around a metre and I landed back down with a thud. Clutching my upper leg, I looked and the yak was dragging its hoof in the dusty ground ready to go at me for a second time with its horns down. I screamed and managed to raise my leg and shout.”
As the yak went into attack again Keen was able to push the animal with her leg giving her enough time to get away. Blood was pouring from her leg and she began to lose consciousness.
Yaks are a horned box and they can weigh up to 90 stone or 570 kg. They are mostly found at high altitude around the Himalayan region and they aren’t normally dangerous but they’ve been known to become aggressive when defending their young.
Carl Marsh, a firefighter was part of the trek and rushed to help her. He moved Emma to a safe place away and he saw that she was badly injured with a big hole in her hiking leggings. Blood was pouring out of her leg. He obtained a first-aid kit and applied pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding.
Sherpas assisting in the charity trek call for medical assistance and s helicopter was sent to the village which is at a height of 3,800 m above sea level.
Emma Keen was flown to Lukla airport and then taken to a medical center where she stayed for several days. Her 8 cm leg wound required stitches.
She joined the trek for the final few days to the base camp at a height of 5,364 m. She struggled to walk and completed the hike on horseback.
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