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Another American mountaineer dies
2006-02-22 08:02:49
By Patrick Kisembo
An American tourist died on Monday as he was climbing Mt Kilimanjaro.
A tour guide who accompanied the deceased told this paper by telephone from Mt Kilimanjaro that the tourist, aged about 60, died near Gilman\’s Point, an estimated 19,000 feet above sea level.
He was among 40 tourists who had managed to reach the summit when the tragedy struck.
Information gathered from mountaineers said the group was using the Kibosho route, one of the many routes used when climbing the mountain.
The route is believed to be the most difficult to use when climbing Mt Kilimanjaro.
The Kilimanjaro Regional Police Commander, Dr Mohammed Chicco, confirmed the incident.
’It is true that a foreign tourist died at the top of the mountain and our rescue team has been dispatched to the mountain to find out the cause of the death,’ he said.
Dr Chicco said his office had not yet established the age of the deceased or the gender.
’What we know as of now is that the deceased is a foreigner. But we do not know which country he or she comes from,’he told The Guardian by telephone.
Added the RC: ’The body will be brought back via the Mweka route after our rescue team reaches where the death occurred.’
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