A MALAYSIAN doctor who is based in Singapore died today after he was rescued last week near the summit of Nepal’s Mount Annapurna, where he was stranded for more than 43 hours.

Dr Chin Wui Kin, 48, was initially treated at a hospital in Nepal’s capital of Kathmandu, before he was airlifted to Singapore over the weekend for treatment at the National University Hospital.

When contacted, his wife Thanaporn Lorchirachoonkul declined to speak and requested privacy.

Friends and family members today attended Dr Chin’s wake – held at a Buddhist temple in Bukit Merah – to pay their last respects. Those approached declined to be interviewed.

Dr Chin, who was a visiting senior anaesthesiology consultant at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, was separated from other trekkers while descending the treacherous peak, which has a higher death rate than Mount Everest.

The extent of his injuries was unclear. Following his rescue last Thursday, a doctor in Nepal told AFP that Dr Chin was in critical condition.

“His heart rate and temperature were very low when we received him. He is suffering from severe hypothermia and has frostbite on his hands and feet,” Sanij Singh, emergency physician at Mediciti Hospital, told AFP.

“His condition is critical… We are doing what we can.”

At the time, one of Dr Chin’s rescuers said his “life may still be in danger” and that he may “lose his limbs”.

Dr Chin was an experienced climber who successfully scaled Mount Everest last year.

Last Tuesday, he had reached the top of the 8,091-metre Mount Annapurna along with 31 other climbers but he failed to descend to a lower camp.

He had provided updates about his expedition on his Facebook page. His last post was on April 21.

“It was scary at the ice cliff, I am glad to make it up to camp 3. The heavy snow had set in.” – Today Online, May 2, 2019