SINGAPORE: The Singaporean man who died on Aug 9 from health complications due to altitude sickness after attempting to climb Mount Kilimanjaro had appeared to be well following his return to camp the day before, said a Tanzanian tour operator.
Speaking to CNA on late on Wednesday (Aug 16), Mr Mathew Jacky Mollel, who is the founder and director of Wild Root Safaris and Adventures, said that Mr Darrel Phee had started feeling unwell on Aug 8, the day the tour group was due to summit the mountain.
The climb was scheduled from Aug 3 to Aug 11.
According to Mr Mollel, whose company’s guides were leading the tour group Mr Phee was a part of, the Singaporean was forced to return to the campsite with a guide and “was measured and was okay” when he returned. He was also able to have dinner.
But at around 6am, Mr Phee was discovered in a bathroom by a guide, said Mr Mollel.
Singapore travel agency Adventures Unlimited, in a Facebook post on early Aug 12 morning, said it “received the sad news of a tragedy which had happened during the Kilimanjaro trek”.
“One of our team members, Mr Darrel Phee, lost his life during the expedition,” it added. The man was 28 years old.
Mr Phee’s “readings and symptoms have been normal throughout the days of the hike”, said the post.
“However, on the morning of the summit hike, his oxygen levels dropped and his heart rate increased.”
It was then decided that he would not scale the mountain and he returned to the campsite with a guide, as per safety protocols. At the campsite, Mr Phee was closely monitored, according to Adventures Unlimited.