A Singaporean climber died on Mount Manaslu in Nepal after taking unwell during an acclimatisation rotation, the expedition organiser said.
Lau Wee Seng, 50, died on 17 September at an altitude of about 6,000m, according to Nepalese media and his expedition organiser.
“He passed away this morning. Arrangements have been made to airlift his body,” Pemba Sherpa of 8K Expeditions said on Thursday.
Lau reached Camp II on 16 September and stayed overnight before beginning his descent the following morning, according to Lakpa Sherpa, founder of 8K Expeditions. During the descent, he stopped to rest and lost his pulse within a minute, Mr Lakpa told The Straits Times.
A doctor and other climbers attended to Lau but were unable to save him, according to the Himalayan Times.
Lau had arrived in Samagaun on 7 September as part of an expedition attempting to climb the 8,163m mountain during Nepal’s autumn climbing season, the Rising Nepal reported.
The cause of death was yet to be officially established. The Himalayan Times said an initial assessment suggested he suffered a heart attack.
Lau’s family has been informed. A helicopter has been mobilised to recover his body, but poor weather and mountain conditions have hampered the operation.
“A helicopter was mobilised to retrieve his body, but it could not land due to bad weather conditions,” Raj Kumar Shrestha, spokesperson for the District Police Office in Gorkha, told China’s Xinhua news agency.
Lau is the second climber, and first foreigner, to die on Manaslu this season. Tashi Sherpa, a 20-year-old Nepali porter, was found dead in a tent at the mountain’s base camp earlier this month. Police said he had gone to sleep in a tent containing a generator without informing others. An investigation into the circumstances of his death was reported to be underway.
Meanwhile, expedition operators are working to open the route towards the Manaslu summit. An avalanche struck the slope above Camp III on 16 September, disrupting rope-fixing work, although members of the rope-fixing team were reported to be safe.
At least 480 foreign climbers have obtained permits to attempt Manaslu this autumn, with Nepal’s tourism dDepartment collecting $1.44m in royalties.
The autumn season is generally less popular with climbers than spring because of colder and shorter days, snowier conditions, and a narrower window for summit attempts.
