Four die of altitude sickness in Nepal

Four Nepalese porters and trekkers died due to high-altitude sickness in the western part of the Himalayan nation in separate incidents, authorities said on Monday.

Porters Dil Bahadur Gurung and Samga Ghale, and trekker Ram Bahadur Thapa Magar died in the Manang district of the Gandaki province.

Gurung and Ghale were carrying luggage of foreign trekkers when they developed high-altitude sickness and subsequently passed away, according to a statement issued by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) under the Home Ministry.

Magar was found dead in his hotel room after returning from a trek.

In a similar incident, Nepalese national Suraj Man Shrestha, who suffered from altitude sickness while going trekking in the Annapurna base camp area of Kaski district, died in the hotel where he was staying on Saturday, according to the NDRRMA.

Similarly, a 31-year-old Spanish national, who was returning from a trek to the base camp of northern Kanchenjunga mountain, developed altitude sickness on Saturday.

He was rescued from a guest house in the Faktanglung village of Taplejung district, where he was resting.

Security personnel airlifted him to Kathmandu for treatment on the same day, according to Home Ministry sources.

Both the Annapurna area in Kaski district and the Mustang district in northern Nepal are currently bustling with thousands of domestic and foreign tourists visiting for trekking.