An Australian man has died after becoming ill 300 metres from the summit of a mountain in Nepal.
Chin Tark Chan died on Wednesday during an attempt to climb 7,100-metre high Himlung Himal after he was first reported ill on Monday.
The Himalayan mountain near the Tibetan border is about 150km north-west of Nepal’s capital Kathmandu.
A spokesperson for Chan’s evacuation provider, Global Rescue, said he became ill on Monday morning local time at a height of 6,800m. The spokesperson said sherpas employed by his expedition company, 8K Expeditions, communicated to them via WhatsApp that Chan showed symptoms consistent with snow blindness and mobility loss.
Sign up: AU Breaking News email
Global Rescue was asked to provide a helicopter for a hover or longline – or rope – rescue, but this was “determined to be unsafe” because Chan was located above the maximum operating altitude set by Nepali aviation regulations, the spokesperson said.
Two hours later, the expedition company’s sherpas reported that Chan was nearly unconscious.
Global Rescue said another helicopter operator made an unsuccessful hover rescue attempt four hours after Chan was first reported ill, which failed because of “adverse weather conditions”.
The company said Chan was then carried to the lower camp on Monday, arriving in the evening, where it was confirmed he had frostbite on his fingers and toes. He remained there on Tuesday, with descent or a helicopter rescue “impossible due to snow”.
On Wednesday, Nepali aviation authorities imposed a temporary ground stop on all helicopter flights after an unrelated crash.
The expedition company’s sherpas began to carry him to a lower camp but Chan died not far into the descent.
“Tragically, before a safe weather window presented, the client died below Camp 3 at approximately 6,500m,” Global Rescue’s spokesperson said.
Lakpa Sherpa, managing director at 8K Expeditions, said Chan was one of nine climbers in a group ascending the mountain, accompanied by 10 sherpas, one of whom was hired to work with Chan.
Lakpa Sherpa said he had advised Chan to travel with two dedicated sherpas because of his level of experience, but Chan had gone ahead with just one.
Lakpa Sherpa said Chan had unsuccessfully attempted to climb the mountain last year, and had travelled to Nepal to climb mountains “seven or eight times”.
“I know him personally very well … so I’m very sad,” he said. “We lost a good friend and a mountaineer.”
Lakpa Sherpa said he had notified the Australian embassy as well as Chan’s family.
Speaking on Friday evening, he said Chan’s body remained on the mountain because of continued bad weather, but he hoped his crew would be able to return when conditions improved so the climber could be repatriated.
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it was providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian who had died in Nepal.
“We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time,” they said.
A GoFundMe had been set up in Chan’s name on Friday to raise money for Nepal’s sherpas, who often assist climbers from western countries in the Himalayas, “to honour Chinny’s adventurous spirit and give back to the people he deeply admired”.
“Recently, our dear Chinny tragically passed away on Himlung Himal in Nepal,” the description said.
“While no words can ease this loss, we choose to honour Chinny’s memory by giving back to those who make high-altitude expeditions possible.”
