Porters Die In Kilimanjaro Tragedy

A sobering story in today's Newcastle Journal as a local man recounts how three African porters died on Kilimanjaro due to inadequate clothing in appalling conditions.

Peter Nixon, 39, was trekking up the mountain as part of a charity challenge organised by the Make A Wish Foundation when conditions deteriorated high on the mountain. The three Masai porters were part of another expedition and were inadequately equipped, some wearing only shorts and tee-shirts, and apparently succumbed to hypothermia.

Nixon himself suffered the effects of altitude sickness high on the mountain and 'admitted to being unfit and an inexperienced climber before the trek'.

Sadly the tragedy occurred the same month as Ed Douglas's prescient piece about the risks of climbing Kilimanjaro appeared in Climber magazine. In the article Douglas concentrates of the way a daily peak fee charge of $70 encourages trekkers to climb the near 6000 metre peak - the highest in Africa and one of the seven summits - as quickly as possible.

Many trekkers aim to complete the popular Marangu route in just four days, which is totally inadequate for acclimatisation - nearer two weeks would be a more sensible time scale - and has led to numerous deaths from AMS on the mountain. Douglas suggests that more than ten people a year die on Kili.

It also underlines the importance of the work of the International Porters Protection Group - see previous articles below - which is working to improve conditions for and awareness of porters worldwide.

For the original story, see the Journal.