Daredevil Chinese tourist falls to his death from Mount Kenya peak
A Chinese tourist died as he descended from Mount Kenya’s highest peak, Batian.
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) assistant director Simon Gitau said 33-year-old Fang Wenchao died on Sunday afternoon.
Batian is one of the most challenging peaks to climb and only professional mountain climbers dare to climb it.
HARSH CONDITIONS
To get to the highest point, it would take up to three days as one needs to acclimatise to the harsh atmospheric conditions.
The tourist, according to KWS, got to the mountain through the Sirimon Gate on Friday, accompanied by two guides and three porters.
He was accompanied by the team up to Shipton Camp, the last stopover before starting a seven-hour ascent to the rocky Batian peak.
KWS reported that the tourist and a guide started the final stage around 5am on Sunday and climbed to the highest point.
MISSED A STEP
It was during the descent that Mr Fang missed a step and fell over a 60-metre cliff. The fall was blamed on the cloudy weather that made visibility difficult for the Chinese and his guide.
“From what we have gathered, the accident happened near Shipton’s Notch. They were on their way down, which is usually very dangerous,” said Mr Gitau.