A MALAYSIAN climber has died during an expedition on Mount Denali in Alaska, US, according to Wisma Putra.
In a statement, through the consulate general of Malaysia in Los Angeles, it said two other Malaysian climbers on the same expedition have been hospitalised.
It said that the consulate general of Malaysia in Los Angeles has been in touch with the deceased’s next-of-kin and is extending consular assistance.
It said local authorities’ efforts to bring down the body was subject to the weather conditions at Mount Denali, which is the tallest mountain in all of North America.
Separately, the New Straits Times reported that the deceased, Zulkifli Yusuf, 37, was reported dead at 6am local time on May 29 as confirmed by the Alpine Club Malaysia (ACM), the management of the Malaysian climber’s group on the mountain.
According to Ayob Yahya, ACM communication chief, the two other Malaysian climbers on the same expedition, Zainudin Lot, 48, and Illaham Ishak, 48, were successfully brought down and are now in a stable condition at a hospital in Talkeetna, Alaska.
He said the cause of Zulkifli’s death is suspected to be high-altitude pulmonary edema hypothermia.
However, he said, to confirm this, a post-mortem examination will be carried out by local medical authorities.
“Zulkifli’s body is still at the scene and the process of retrieving the body from the scene may take time as we wait for favorable weather conditions to bring it down from the climbing area,” he said. – June 1, 2024.
