Family of Darrel Phee, the S’porean Who Died After Mt Kilimanjaro Climb, Seeking Answers

You may already know about the recent Mt Kilimanjaro tragedy, but if you haven’t, here’s a quick recap.

So sometime last weekend, a local travel agency called Adventures Unlimited shared some devastating news on its Facebook page:

28-year-old Singaporean Darrel Phee Chin Ann passed away during a Kilimanjaro trek.

Apparently, his oxygen levels and heart rate had experienced abnormal changes on the morning of the hike, and he was subsequently brought back to the campsite for closer monitoring. Altitude sickness, however, ultimately contributed to his demise, and he died of Asphyxia/High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE).

The agency also expressed its condolences and pledged to aid his “family in this difficult time.”

Family of Darrel Phee, the S’porean Who Died After Mt Kilimanjaro Climb, Seeking Answers

It appears that the family members of the deceased are looking for more answers.

According to his aunt, 51-year-old Adelyn Phui, there are differences between the documents they procured and the information Adventures Unlimited provided.

A Tanzanian death certificate, for instance, showed that Mr Phee had died last Wednesday (9 August 2023). This contradicts a call that Mr Phee’s parents had received on the same day, one which informed them that their son had fainted outside the toilet.

The family had only been notified about his death last Thursday (10 August 2023) at around 8:10 pm.

This led the family to suspect that there had been a delay in communication (of his death).

As such, family members are currently looking through Mr Phee’s phone and altimeter watch (which provides altitude readings) in search of clues.

Mr Phee’s body will be returned today (16 August 2023).

Darrel Phee

The 28-year-old was reportedly a bank executive with avid interests in outdoor activities and travelling.

According to Madam Phui, he had a jovial and friendly personality. He also had two younger siblings, aged 24 and 26.

He had reportedly joined the trek on a National Day tour package.

Based on screenshots provided by a reader to Zaobao, 19 mountain lovers set off on 2 August to Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and were scheduled to return to Singapore on 11 August.

They ended up returning on Tuesday (15 August 2023) instead.

Mount Kilimanjaro

Situated 5,896m above sea level, Mt Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest peak.

Around 30,000 people try to climb the mountain every year, and around 3 to 10 would perish per year. Even so, the death rate is deemed as lower than expected.

Evacuation of corpses is also more achievable as compared to sites like Mount Everest, where it might be harder to recover bodies. On Mt Kilimanjaro, helicopters or stretchers are used for evacuations when needed.

Mountain Related Misfortunes

This is the latest in some mountain-related misfortunes involving Singaporeans. Earlier this year, in May, a Singaporean climber went missing while climbing Mount Everest.

He had reached the summit before he went missing and has yet to be found.

He had contacted his wife that he had high-altitude cerebral edema and would unlikely make it down the mountain.