Body of retired S'pore teacher found near Mount Everest
The body of retired teacher Harry Tan, 76, who went missing while hiking near Mount Everest, was found on Oct 4 after a search and rescue operation that lasted more than a week.
Mr Tan reportedly went missing on Sept 26 near the 5,500m-high Kongma La Pass in Nepal, which is south of the Everest Base Camp.
Friends of Mr Tan whom The Straits Times spoke to said they were told that he had fallen off a cliff, and efforts are now under way to retrieve his body.
Mr Tan retired from a teaching position at the National Institute of Education in 2010, but continued to lecture part-time from 2013 to 2020.
Trekking websites describe the Kongma La Pass as a challenging route, at an altitude that is higher than the Everest Base Camp.
It offers views of Mount Everest and is part of the Three Passes Trek that can take about two to three weeks to complete.
Mr Raj Tamang, 58, who hiked to the Everest Base Camp with Mr Tan in 2019, said: “I’ve been in shock for the last nine days. I was hoping against hope, I thought if anyone could survive this, it was Harry.”
Mr Tamang, a Nepali who grew up in Singapore, said he got to know Mr Tan in 2015 during a golf tour in Nepal that he helped to organise for a group of golfers from Seletar Golf Club.
He added that Mr Tan had hit golf balls from Everest Base Camp during their 2019 hike, teeing off from a height of more than 5,000m.
Mr Tamang said Mr Tan was a “dear friend” and an extraordinary person who was very fit for his age, and who took care of himself.
It was likely Mr Tan’s third trip to the Everest region, added Mr Tamang, who has nearly 40 years of experience guiding treks.
The Straits Times has contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NTU for more information.
In May 2023, 39-year-old Singaporean climber Shrinivas Sainis Dattatraya went missing after reaching the summit of Mount Everest.
After reaching the top, he used a satellite phone and sent a message to his wife, saying he had come down with high-altitude cerebral edema, a severe type of altitude sickness.
He did not make it down the mountain and a search-and-rescue team was not able to find him.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now