A young Hyderabadi adventurer, Rakesh Kothuri, who went on a mountaineering expedition in Ladakh, died of high altitude sickness on Sunday according to reports reaching here.
Organiser
Eight other Hyderabadi climbers, part of the expedition organised by the Hyderabad Trekking Club (HTC) are safe and are returning to the city.
The unfortunate victim, Rakesh Kothuri (28) was attempting to scale Stok Kangri, which is 6,153 meters above sea level. This is the highest peak in Stok Range of Himalayas in the Ladakh region.
Rakesh, a civil engineer residing in Moula Ali, fell sick at the base camp Mankorma, which is about 4,900 meters above sea level on Wednesday night. His team members and local guides grew suspicious as Rakesh did not respond when they tried to wake him at the base camp on Wednesday night. His fellow trekkers and the guides brought him down to Leh and got him admitted to SNM Hospital on Thursday afternoon. He responded well on Thursday but by Friday his condition deteriorated. His family members who rushed there later decided to shift him to the Military Hospital in Leh. He was declared dead at this hospital in the wee hours of Sunday. On reaching the base camp Mankorma, the expedition team decided to rest.
According to members of HTC, Rakesh did not complain of any health problems.
“Suspicions about Rakesh’s health arose after the expedition leader Sunil conducted a check on all members around midnight. Rakesh did not respond. The team members immediately decided to bring him to a lower altitude,” HTC founder Y. Venkat Reddy said.
‘Not fit for trekking’
By Thursday afternoon, he was admitted to SNM Hospital in Leh. “The doctors at Military Hospital were clear. They said he was not fit for high altitude trekking,” Mr. Venkat Reddy added.
