Singaporean climber Shrinivas Sainis summited Mount Everest on May 19 but developed High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE) and did not manage to make it down the mountain.
According to his wife, Sushma Soma, the search and rescue team deployed could not find him in the mountains despite their best efforts.
In a social media post, she quoted her husband’s words, “But in the end, the mountain has the last say.”
She shared several photos of her husband’s expedition and some touching words.
She wrote, “He was 39, and in his glorious and rich life, he lived fearlessly and to the fullest. He explored the depth of the sea and scaled the greatest heights of the Earth.
“And now, Shri is in the mountains, where he felt most at home.”
HACE is a rare, life-threatening altitude disease and is a severe form of acute mountain sickness (AMS). It is caused by leaky capillaries in the brain, which causes fluid accumulation and brain swelling causing hallucinations and disorientation.
According to previous reports, Shri had contacted his wife when he developed HACE to tell her that he was not likely to make it down the mountain.
An affinity for the mountains
Shri had left Singapore on Apr. 1 to embark on a journey to summit both Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse on a single expedition.
Sushma also shared that he had scaled a higher mountain yearly and “fully understood the gravity of such dreams.”
She also took the time to thank some people, friends and family who helped during this difficult time, starting with Shri’s guide, Dendi Sherpa who was his “trusty companion through all the formidable Himalayan mountains.”
On top of that, she also thanked all the Sherpas from Seven Summits and others from the climbing community who risked their lives to help in the search and rescue.
Sending more love
Messages of support and love poured in her comments, including one individual who was lucky to have met her husband during the expedition.
Jacob Wesel said in a comment that he had summited on May 17, just two days before Shri.
“I came to know your husband as a kind, thoughtful, conscientious man. He was an experienced mountaineer and I personally saw him save another climber and possibly the rest of his rope team when he self arrested with his ice axe on the Autobahn above Denali’s high camp when we were turned around. He was a great man and I have mourned his loss these last days and will continue to do so,” he added.
Others sent words of admiration for Shri and their deepest condolences for Sushma.
Sushma and her family also asked for space and privacy to grieve and heal, and added that they would not be answering any media queries.
