German tourist dies on pilgrimage to high-altitude Tibetan mountains

LHASA—A German man was confirmed dead because of high-altitude sickness while traveling and paying tribute to a high-altitude “divine” mountain in Tibet, said an official with the local public security office Friday.
Wernicke Jurgen, 62, died of altitude sickness at around 1 a.m. Thursday on a track in Mountain Kangrinboge in western Tibet’s Ngari area, said Guenga, an official with the public security office in Burang County. The body had been cremated on Friday afternoon under his family’s permission in a place 32 km away from the mountain where cremation service is available. The other three companions of the deceased - his brother and two other German travelers - called off their tour and would return to Germany soon. Jurgen, along with his companions and a local interpreter, began their trip on Tuesday after they arrived in Lhasa on Sept. 28.
The group started off at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday only to find the mountain path was covered with thick snow, almost as deep as their knees. A member of the group lagged behind for snow blindness. Jurgen and the interpreter decided to take him down to a temple. But on their way to the temple, Jurgen was suddenly seized with altitude sickness and then died at midnight.
The snow-capped Mountain Kangrinboge, 6,714 meters above sea level, is the highest peak of the Gangdise Range. It is regarded as “King of divine mountains” by Tibetan people as well as Buddhism and Hinduism believers. Every year, pilgrims from both home and abroad come to walk around the mountain clockwise wishing to wipe off their sins.
This year, 16 people died while walking around the mountain, 15of whom died of altitude sickness. They were all in their 60s and 70s. Guenga said 90 percent of the tourists in Ngari would like to walk around the “divine mountain”. Last year it attracted 9,000 travelers and the number is expected to hit 14,000 to 15,000 this year. “The mountain is usually covered with thick snow every April to May and October to November, which makes it even harder to walk in such a high-altitude mountain,” he said.

—The Daily Mail, China Dailynews exchange item