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Japanese tourist dies while climbing Uluru in Australia Japanese tourist dies while climbing Uluru in Australia
(about 9 hours later)
A Japanese tourist has died while climbing Uluru in central Australia, authorities have said.A Japanese tourist has died while climbing Uluru in central Australia, authorities have said.
The man, 76, collapsed about halfway up the rock on Tuesday and could not be revived, according to police. His death is not being treated as suspicious.The man, 76, collapsed about halfway up the rock on Tuesday and could not be revived, according to police. His death is not being treated as suspicious.
Since the 1950s at least 37 people have died on the climb, which will be banned from October 2019.Since the 1950s at least 37 people have died on the climb, which will be banned from October 2019.
Aboriginal Australians have long asked visitors not to scale the giant monolith because it is a sacred site.Aboriginal Australians have long asked visitors not to scale the giant monolith because it is a sacred site.
Northern Territory police said the tourist had been flown by helicopter to a nearby medical centre, where he was pronounced dead. Living place
More than 250,000 people visit the landmark, formerly known as Ayers Rock, each year. The most recent recorded death was in 2010. The Japanese tourist was attempting to ascend one of the steepest parts of the rock when he collapsed and lost consciousness, local police were quoted by ABC News as saying.
According to authorities, only 16% of visitors made the climb between 2011 and 2015. He was flown by helicopter to a nearby medical centre, where he was pronounced dead.
Last year, the board of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park voted unanimously to ban the climb because its cultural significance. Vincent Forrester, of the Anangu community - the traditional owners of the land - expressed sadness at his death, saying: "Please say sorry to the Japanese people there, they've lost one of their own."
A statement on its website reads: "Too many people have died while attempting to climb Uluru. Many others have been injured while climbing. More than 250,000 people visit the landmark, formerly known as Ayers Rock, each year.
"We feel great sadness when a person dies or is hurt on our land." Tourists who visit are strongly urged not to climb it for cultural, spiritual and environmental reasons, and numbers doing so have dropped significantly in recent years.
Last year, the board of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park voted unanimously to ban the climb, which will come into effect next year.
To the Anangu, Uluru is a living place, with paintings and markings of their ancestors everywhere. The community feels a deep sense of responsibility for the safety of visitors there.
But there are safety reasons for the ban too. Uluru is 348m (1,142ft) high, and the climb is very steep and can be slippery. Temperatures in the area can also reach 47C (116F) in the summer.
Every year park rangers are rescuing people with broken bones, and suffering from heat exhaustion and extreme dehydration, the attraction's website says.