A 40-year-old Irish climber has died after developing breathing problems while scaling Mount Kenya.
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), which announced the death did not disclose the deceased man’s name. The Service, however, said the climber died in one of the stopovers, Australian Hut.
“KWS wishes to inform the public that at around 6am on Thursday January 28, an Irish national who went mountain climbing on Mt Kenya developed some breathing problems in one of the stopovers, Australian hut,” the KWS statement read in part.
The wildlife agency said the incident was reported and a rescue team responded by evacuating the client to Mackinder’s, where he was airlifted to Nanyuki Cottage Hospital.
The climber who was in a critical condition was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
The Irish man had started a climbing expedition at 6:00am and accessed Mount Kenya National Park through the Naromoru gate on Monday January 25.
Mount Kenya is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second-highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro.
Experts advise that it is important to be physically and mentally fit before embarking on the journey.
Some activities that can be done prior to the d-day include; jogging, running, hiking and climbing of walls.
The mountain can be climbed all year round though the best time for the activity is during the dry seasons.
