Body of 76-year-old Singaporean hiking near Mount Everest found

SINGAPORE —The body of retired teacher Harry Tan, 76, who went missing while hiking near Mount Everest, was found on Friday (Oct 4) after a search and rescue operation that lasted more than a week.

Tan reportedly went missing on Sept 26 near the 5,500m-high Kongma La Pass in Nepal, which is south of Everest Base Camp.

Friends of Tan whom The Straits Times spoke to said he had fallen off a cliff, and efforts are now under way to retrieve his body.

Tan retired from a teaching position at the National Institute of Education in 2010, but continued to lecture part-time from 2013 to 2020.

Trekking websites describe the Kongma La Pass as a challenging route, at an altitude that is higher than Everest Base Camp.

It offers views of Mount Everest and is part of the Three Passes Trek that can take about two to three weeks to complete.

Raj Tamang, 58, who hiked to Everest Base Camp with Tan in 2019, said: "I've been in shock for the last nine days. I was hoping against hope; I thought if anyone could survive this, it was Harry."

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Tamang, a Nepali who grew up in Singapore, said he got to know Tan in 2015 during a golf tour in Nepal that he helped to organise for a group of golfers from Seletar Golf Club.

He added that Tan had hit golf balls from Everest Base Camp during their 2019 hike, teeing off from a height of more than 5,000m. 

Tamang, founder of trekking company Responsible Adventures, said Tan was a "dear friend" and an extraordinary person who was very fit for his age and who took care of himself.

It was likely Tan's third trip to the Everest region, added Tamang, who has nearly 40 years of experience guiding treks.

The Straits Times has contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Nanyang Technological University for more information.

In May 2023, Singaporean climber Shrinivas Sainis Dattatraya, 39, went missing after reaching the summit of Mount Everest.

After reaching the top, he used a satellite phone and sent a message to his wife, saying he had come down with high-altitude cerebral oedema, a severe type of altitude sickness.

He did not make it down the mountain, and a search and rescue team was not able to find him.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.