Pokhara, July 22: Altitude sickness claimed 25 lives in Nepal’s Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) region during the last fiscal year, with most deaths reported in Mustang, according to ACAP officials.
The conservation area also recorded five additional deaths from separate trekking and mountaineering accidents during the same period.
ACAP Director Dr. Rabin Kadariya said Mustang accounted for 15 altitude related deaths. The victims included eight Indian and four Nepali pilgrims at Muktinath, one Nepali at Damodar Kunda, one Nepali at Lo Manthang, and one Mexican national at Tukuche.
Manang recorded eight altitude sickness deaths, the highest number of Nepali fatalities. The victims included three Nepali porters and guides in the Nar Phu area, one Nepali guide, one Nepali trekker on the Annapurna Circuit, one Indian, one Japanese and one Singaporean national.
One Spanish trekker died from altitude sickness on the Mardi Himal trail, while one Nepali also died on the route to Annapurna Base Camp.
Apart from altitude sickness, five people lost their lives in separate accidents. Two Indian trekkers who went missing during heavy snowfall in Manang were later found dead. An Australian mountaineer died after falling on Himlung Himal, a missing Nepali trekker was found dead on the Mardi Himal trail, and a German trekker died after falling on the Khopra trail.
Dr. Kadariya urged trekkers and pilgrims to take altitude sickness seriously and follow proper acclimatization measures.
“Traveling to high altitude is inherently risky and requires adequate preparation. Never rush the ascent. If symptoms of altitude sickness appear, descend immediately,” he said.
He added that awareness boards have been installed at various locations across the conservation area to educate visitors about the risks.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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