Key Takeaways

• 25 tourists died of altitude sickness in FY 2025/26.
• Victims included 12 Nepalis, nine Indians, and one each from Japan, Mexico, Spain and Singapore.
• ACAP warns against rapid ascent, urges acclimatisation and group travel.

KATHMANDU, JULY 22 A total of 25 tourists lost their lives due to altitude sickness while travelling in the Annapurna Conservation Area during FY 2025/26, according to the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP). The deceased included 12 Nepalis, nine Indian nationals and one each from Japan, Mexico, Spain and Singapore. Most fatalities occurred in high-altitude areas of Mustang and Manang. ACAP data show 15 deaths in Mustang, eight in Manang, one at Annapurna Base Camp and one on the Mardi Himal trekking route. Among the Nepali victims were four trekking guides and porters. In addition, five more tourists died in separate trekking and mountaineering accidents, including falls and severe weather incidents. ACAP Chief Dr Rabin Kadel said acute mountain sickness is particularly common among Nepali and Indian visitors who travel by road directly to high-altitude destinations such as Muktinath without proper acclimatisation. He urged travellers to ascend gradually, rest sufficiently and descend immediately if symptoms appear. The number of altitude-related deaths has shown an upward trend in recent years, with 21 fatalities recorded in FY 2023/24 and 19 in FY 2024/25. Tourism experts advise trekkers not to gain more than 500 metres of elevation per day and to travel in groups or with licensed guides, stressing that proper acclimatisation remains the most effective way to prevent altitude sickness in Nepal's high mountains.