British trekker found dead in Nepal: police
PUBLISHED ONOctober 06, 2014 1:48 PM
KATHMANDU - A British woman on a trekking trip in Nepal's Everest region was found dead in her hotel room after complaining of respiratory problems, local police said Monday.
The 49-year-old and her daughter were returning from a trip to Everest base camp, located at 5,364 metres (17,700 feet), when she experienced trouble breathing and stopped for a night at a hotel in Khumjung, en route to the capital Kathmandu.
"She possibly died of altitude sickness," local police official, Purushottam Silwal, told AFP.
"Her body was airlifted to Kathmandu for a post-mortem," Silwal said.
Altitude sickness strikes when people ascend heights too quickly, as the decreased atmosphere pressure causes headaches, fatigue and dizziness.
The incident follows the death of a Japanese climber last month, who slipped and fell during an ascent of Mount Manaslu, the world's eighth-highest peak.
October is peak trekking season in the Himalayan nation, which is home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountains.
Hundreds of climbers abandoned plans to ascend Mount Everest in April this year after 16 Nepalese guides were killed in an avalanche, marking the deadliest day on the 8,848-metre (29,029-foot) peak.