I am saddened by the news, as that 2 Singaporeans died innocently in their trip to a sacred mountain in the Tibetan. I am sure that two travellers died because of inadequate training and proper safety measures in case of emergency.
How can it be done to prevent such incidents from happening again?
Firstly, there should be proper health guidelines in place for all travellers who want to travel to high altitude places such as Tibet Mountains etc. They must undergo a thorough medical check -up by doctors in a local hospital. The doctor will issue a letter to certify that the traveller is fit for such trips. Only those who are certified fit, then they are allowed to climb high altitude mountains.
Secondly, a strict law must be imposed, not allowing those have heart disease problems such as high blood pressure and any other health problems such as asthma. It is to prevent unfit people from dying at mountainous area, as there are limited available medical assistance. Those over the age of 50 years old make it compulsory for them to bring medication for stand-by.
Lastly, travel agencies do play an important role in planning the trip. Travel agencies should plan in a way such that there some training throughout the tour, always starting with places at lower altitude. For instance, travellers may first fly from Singapore to Yunan, which has an altitude of 1,896 meters. After that, travel to Lijiang and Lhasa which has an altitude of 2,400 metres and 3,600 metres respectively. It is applying the acclimatization method. This process generally takes 1-3 days, where one’s body can adapt to the decrease in oxygen molecules at a specific altitude. Consider of having all travellers to stay in hotel with oxygen masks for the 2-3 days is another good way to get over the altitude sickness. Similar method must also be used when coming down from the high altitude mountain back to Singapore.
In conclusion, the above incident should not ever happen again. I hope that the Singapore government can put my above suggestions into consideration, to produce a list of proper guidelines to ensure the safety of all travellers.