KATHMANDU: Two Singapore nationals reportedly died as a result of altitude sickness near Tibet's holy Mt. Kailash, the country's ministry of foreign affairs reported. The two, a 66-year-old man and a 61-year-old woman had been part of a 10-member Singapore tour group of Buddhist devotees. They were visiting Mount Kailash, a 6,638 meter-tall mountain considered sacred by Buddhists and Hindus. Eyewitnesses reported that during the wait for rescue on Monday, cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed on the woman. The Chinese trekker who reported the incident, also received oxygen. The man had reportedly died earlier. Tour guides in Nepal's capital Kathmandu told Bikyamasr.com that while death from altitude sickness is rare, “if the sherpas or guides are not aware of everyone's health, it can result.” In a statement e-mailed to the media, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said it had dispatched an officer from its embassy in Beijing to Lhasa on Tuesday to provide assistance to the affected Singaporeans. “We are working closely with the local authorities to facilitate the return of the remaining eight members of the tour group to Singapore,” said an MFA spokesman. “We extend our condolences to the families of the two Singaporeans who died and have been in contact with their next- of-kin in Singapore.” Located in the western region of Tibet, the popular mountain is visited by thousands of pilgrims each year.
