SINGAPORE: A Singaporean climber has died while attempting to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
In response to CNA’s queries, an Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) spokesperson said on Sunday (Aug 13) that “it has been extending consular assistance and support to the family of the deceased”.
“MFA extends its deepest condolences to the family.”
A friend of the climber told 8World the dead man’s name was Darrel Phee Chin Ann and that he was 28 years old.
A Facebook post by local travel agency Adventures Unlimited on Aug 2 showed a group of travellers at Changi Airport with the message: “Get ready to join us on this thrilling journey as we attempt not only the highest peak in Africa but also our own limits!”
According to a post in the agency’s private Facebook group, Mr Phee’s oxygen level dropped sharply and his heart rate increased on the morning of the summit hike.
It was reportedly then decided that he would not scale the mountain and he returned to camp with a guide, as per safety protocols.
But Mr Phee’s altitude sickness continued to worsen and he died of asphyxiation and high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), according to 8World.
HAPE is an altitude illness condition that can turn fatal and occurs when fluid enters the lungs, inhibiting the effective exchange of oxygen to the blood.
A 2012 journal published in the United States National Library of Medicine states that HAPE is “the most common cause of death related to high altitude”.
At 5,895m, Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest peak. While popular with adventure seekers, “with more than 50 per cent of climbers suffering from mountain sickness, it is an extreme altitude mountain trek”, says the Climbing Kilimanjaro website.
Fatal accidents on Mount Kilimanjaro are very rare, with a probability of less than 1 per cent, a Facebook post by Adventures Unlimited read.
But the travel agency added that high altitude, extreme weather conditions, the physical condition of the climber and the physical challenges presented could be contributory causes of death.
In May, Singaporean climber Shrinivas Sainis Dattatraya went missing after reaching the summit of Mount Everest.
His wife said he developed High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE), a high-altitude illness that could lead to fatigue and loss of coordination, and “could not make it back down”.
A search and rescue team was not able to find him.
CNA has contacted Adventures Unlimited for more information.