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IPPG Newsletters: August 2001
Two incident reports |
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Incident Report
"(…) Unfortunately details that I have are rather scant, but here they are:
23/10/00 Chetrabu ('Thuli Karka'): Brief talk with (leader?) of European trekking group en route to Mera, Amphu Labsta, Island Pk. This group moves ahead of us the next day and we don't see them until the 29th.
29/10 Just below Mera: Meet same group descending. They are escorting one porter I took initially to be snowblind but on asking told that he was suffering altitude sickness and that another porter had died in the night of altitude sickness. I did not determine exactly when, though assumed that it was the previous night either at high camp or on Mera La. The members I spoke to were clearly devastated and kept saying "we didn't know [he was sick]". They had a PAC but because they were unaware of his condition, did not use it. I don't know if it was used on the porter they were escorting down. They abandoned their intended trip to Island Peak and as far as I know returned directly to Lukla. I don't know which agent they used for the trek."
(name withheld)
Death of a porter
"Last autumn we had a close call with a porter who was carried down from the Mera la to Tagnag suffering from severe HAPE.
The group had a PAC (Portable Altitude Chamber) and very competent leader who administered crash drugs, after a night in the PAC we got a helicopter in the morning and the porter
was hospitalised in Kathmandu where he made a full recovery. (…)This last spring season a porter died at Khare. The group had a PAC, a leader with all the right drugs and an experienced and caring Sirdar. The porter, Surje, aged 29, had been to the Mera la on two previous occasions. (…) After two nights just above Khare, the group headed off towards the Mera la. Apparently the porter, Surje, had been coughing through the night, but was not suffering from a headache and apart from the cough appeared to be OK. Surje left the group with three other porters with the intention of dropping down to Dig Kharkha. However Surje stopped at the tea houses at Khare and spent the day there. That night the coughing got worse and from what I understand he died at 3 in the morning.
(…) With no post mortem and only second hand evidence as to his condition in Khare it is obviously difficult to pin down the cause of death but (…) I have to assume it was HAPE (High altitude Pulmonary Edema).
It seems that as much as anything this death was a trek management type problem stemming from two people not knowing what the problem was. The Sirdar did not suspect HAPE and because the porter was returning anyway, did not tell the group leader. Because the group leader had not been told he was not in a position to assess the state of the porter and treat accordingly. There are two issues that need addressing 1.continuing education for the staff so that they are in a better position to identify AMS, and
2. the encouragement of better communication between the Sirdar and the leader.(…)"
(name withheld)
Kit Spencer of Summit Trekking is exploring the concept of starting a seasonal rescue post manned by well-trained Sherpa staff at Khare, on the Meera Peak trek to prevent these ongoing tragedies. IPPG supports their initiative.
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IPPG encourages people to go trekking and hire a porter. Trekking is a great form of cash aid directed to the poorest sector of the community.
VIDEOS FOR PORTERS AND TREKKERS
Towards the end of the year, Serena Rix, an Australian film-maker, HRA (Himalayan Rescue Association) and IPPG will combine forces to make safety videos for trekkers and porters on the dangers of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness), hypothermia and frostbite.
IPPG will help financially with the production of the porter video, which will be in Nepali and will be shown at various locations in KTM and on the trail. The trekkers' version will also mention the need to care for porters.
Anyone who would like to contribute to this project can send donations to Serena Rix, via your IPPG rep. In Australia these donations will be tax-deductible.
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| Contents:
Editorial
Porters' Progress and the Porter Clothing Bank
Two incident reports
IPPG's five guidelines
Reports from IPPG reps around the world
Letters to the editor
Endorsements
How to contact IPPG
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