Hong Kong civil servant dies climbing Mount Fuji in Japan
Hong Kong Free Press
A Hong Kong civil servant has died while climbing Mount Fuji, the first recorded fatality since the start of the summer climbing season at Japan’s tallest mountain.
The Trade and Industry Department confirmed to HKFP on Wednesday that one of its employees had died while overseas and expressed sorrow over their death. A spokesperson said the department had offered condolences to the family of the deceased and would offer appropriate help.
The Immigration Department also confirmed it had received calls for help and had followed the matter through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and China’s Embassy in Japan, adding that it had advised and assisted the family of the deceased.
The man, identified by Japanese media as 58-year-old Lawrence Wong, lost consciousness on Monday while he was heading to the 3,776-metre summit of Mount Fuji, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK.
He began climbing the mountain with his wife on the Yoshida Trail route from Yamanashi prefecture at around 1.30 pm on Monday, the report said.
They reached a mountain lodge at an altitude of approximately 3,100 metres at around 8.30 pm, when he felt unwell and lost consciousness.
Another climber notified staff and Wong was taken to an aid station by a special vehicle. He was later pronounced dead by a resident doctor.
The NHK report quoted Japanese police as saying that the man did not have visible external injuries and that he died of illness without elaboration.
The police added that this was the first climber death since the summer season to ascend Japan’s tallest peak opened on July 1.
The landmark mountain is closed for most of the year, with its four trails open to climbers from July to mid-September, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors.
Some still attempt to scale the mountain when the trails are closed. Last month, local police found three dead near the crater of Mount Fuji.
‘Stop and rest’
Veteran mountaineer Chung Kin-man told HKFP on Wednesday that Mount Fuji was not “technically demanding” to conquer, but warned that high altitudes could trigger acute mountain sickness or other underlying illnesses.
Chung said people reacted differently to altitude, and may begin to feel dizzy, lose their appetite, or be unable to sleep when they reach 2,500 to 3,000 metres high, adding that those reactions were normal for people with good health.
But he said mountain sickness could compound health issues, particularly for people with underlying illnesses, which sometimes remain unknown to the patients themselves. In hard to access places such as Mount Fuji, people may not receive prompt medical attention, he added.
“The most important thing is that people must evaluate their ability [to hike], because only they know their health conditions through daily exercises and health checks,” Chung said in Cantonese.
“Whenever they start experiencing headaches, nausea, and chest pain, they should stop and rest… It’s key to stay alert [to individual conditions], and the safest way is to descend,” he added.
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https://hongkongfp.com/2024/07/10/hong-kong-civil-servant-dies-climbing-mount-fuji-in-japan/