"That being said, 40 people could not carry a man down from the summit of Everest."
First, the circumstances at that altitude are so deadly that I'm not one to second-guess what they should or shouldn't have done.
But from what I've read the guy was immobile by the time they understood his predicament.
If so, that meant lowering his body down the Steps, etc., *all the while trying to keep him alive*, and with all the implications thereof. Also, of those 40 people, maybe 5 were physically capable of participating in a rescue. If that.
At altitude in the Himalaya you are focusing on two things: putting one foot in front of other, and breathing. Period. Each and every step is a monumental effort of body and mind. And let's not forget that the descent is always demonstrably more dangerous than the ascent.
Well I don't doubt the difficulties of performing a rescue and even some of the climbers did provide oxygen, but for 40 climbers to walk over, around and beside a man in need of help is pathetic.