Malaysian climber, who was rescued alive from Mt Annapurna, dies in Singapore

KATHMANDU: A Malaysian climber, who was rescued alive from above the Camp IV on Mt Annapurna, died in Singapore on Thursday afternoon, according to sources.

Wui Kin Chin, a 49-year-old medical doctor, breathed his last while undergoing treatment at Singapore-based National University Hospital, the sources quoted Kin Chin’s family as saying.

After receiving treatment at Kathmandu-based Mediciti hospital for two days, the climber was airlifted to Singapore on Sunday.

“His body is being kept at Wat Ananda Metyarama Thai Buddhist Temple,” a source said, adding that the cremation is scheduled for tomorrow evening. “Cremation will be held at local Mandai Crematorium at 8:15 pm.”

Senior Anaesthesiologist Kin Chin was evacuated from Mt Annapurna on Friday after he was separated from his climbing guide while descending from the summit point (8,091 m) on Tuesday evening. An aerial search had spotted Kin Chin waving his arms at the height of 7,550 m on Thursday.

Kin Chin, who was exposed to sub-zero temperature for nearly two days, had been evacuated from the base camp of Mt Annapurna after a group of four climbers rescued him alive from above Camp IV.

Rescuers and local agency, however, claimed that a delay in activating a search and medical evacuation mission resulted in the worst situation. “The level of damage and risk to Kin Chin’s life may have been avoided, if the emergency insurance company had acted quicker,” ex Gurkha soldier Nirmal ‘Nims’ Purja, who rescued Kin Chin alive from the mountain, said.

The search and rescue had been delayed after the Global Rescue, the company that Kin Chin was a customer of, reportedly refused to issue the clearance for the medical evacuation mission on time, according to Simrik Air’s senior Captain Siddartha Jung Gurung. Gurung, who spotted the climber alive, had flown to the higher camp of Mt Annapurna after receiving a call from Kin Chin’s wife from Singapore on Thursday.

The Global Rescue, however, denied all allegations. In an email to THT, Michael Holmes, Marketing Director for Global Rescue claimed that GR hadn’t initiated a search mission on Wednesday morning as its memberships do not include search as part of the services that are included in the membership. “None of Global Rescue’s contracted air providers were capable of flying the mission to search for Chin because of his location that day,” he said.

But, Mingma Sherpa, Managing Director at Seven Summit Treks, claimed that a number of helicopters, which were ready to fly for a search mission that day, couldn’t be utilised due to lack GR’s clearance. “The worst has happened because of GR’s carelessness,” he claimed.

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