Family members have paid tribute to a Monash university lecturer who died climbing Mount Everest with her husband.
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Dr Strydom’s death was the third climbing-related fatality in the Himalayas this week.
Alyssa Azar, 19, reached the summit of the world’s tallest mountain on Saturday (AEST), completing an adventure she had been “determined” to do for many years to become the youngest Aussie to achieve the feat.
It quoted a board director at Seven Summit Treks, who said Strydom had said she was feeling very weak and suffering from a loss of energy. She also died after coming down with altitude sickness while descending from the summit.
Part of her inspiration was to prove that vegans, which both she and her husband were, are physically capable of great endeavors.
Because of the effect of altitude on the body, climbers can only spend a few days in this zone during their attempt to reach the summit.
Her sister Aletta Newman told 7 News: “She was superwoman, she could do anything”.
The couple were animal lovers and vegans and wanted to show that vegans could climb Everest.
“We haven’t had anyone from that company talking to myself directly, they haven’t called us to inform us of anything”, Ms. Newman said. “But I still have a passion for it. When I realized that, I decided I have to go back”. There were unconfirmed media reports that an Australian climber had also died.
Reuters could not immediately reach the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for confirmation.
“Praying for Rob’s safety”, Dr Strydom’s mother Maritha Strydom wrote on Facebook on Sunday.
“So every time we had contact with her we thought “You know this could potentially be the last time”, but you don’t really think you’re going to be that three per cent”, she said.
Ms Newman said her sister and brother-in-law were experienced climbers and had taken extra oxygen bottles as a precaution.
More than 350 climbers have reached the top of Everest this month from the Nepali side of the mountain while several people have climbed from Tibet.
Two of their companions who fell sick were being helped down the mountain, Sherpa said.
Mr Arnette said altitude sickness was a broad term for number of problems, from high-altitude pulmonary edema where fluid gathers in the lungs, to high altitude cerebral edema where the brain swells.
The death of Maria Strydom was confirmed by Monash University in Melbourne, where she worked as a lecturer.
Monash is offering counselling support for students and staff. The devastating natural disaster past year caused the season to be canceled, and climbing attempts were largely abandoned in 2014 after an avalanche above the base camp killed 16 Sherpa guides.
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In 2015, another avalanche triggered by Nepal’s 7.8-magnitude quake killed 22 mountaineers at Everest Base Camp, prompting the cancellation of all trips.
