27th May 2023 – (Singapore) Shrinivas Sainis Dattatraya, a 39-year-old Singaporean climber, has gone missing on Mount Everest after reaching its summit on May 19. His wife, Sushma Soma, announced on social media that the search and rescue team was unable to locate him “despite their best efforts”. Mr. Sainis had left Singapore on April 1 with the goal of summiting both Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse in a single expedition. He would have been one of the few in Southeast Asia and the first Singaporean Indian to do so.
Ms. Soma shared on Instagram a tribute to her husband, who had developed High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE), a high-altitude illness that could lead to fatigue and loss of coordination. She recalled witnessing her husband’s “focus, rigor, and discipline” in balancing his training and work commitments. She thanked those involved in the search, including his guide Dendi Sherpa, whom she said was “his trusted companion through all the formidable Himalayan mountains”.
Ms. Soma’s posts included pictures of Mr. Sainis at various peaks, such as Manaslu, Lenin Peak, and Mera Peak, all of which he had successfully climbed. She quoted her husband: “But in the end, the mountain has the last say.”