UBC faculty of medicine mourns loss of colleague who died climbing Mount Everest | iNFOnews.ca
FILE PHOTO - In this Monday, Feb. 22, 2016 file photo, international trekkers pass through a glacier at the Mount Everest base camp, Nepal. A Nepal official says some 30 climbers have gotten frostbite or become sick on Mount Everest, in addition to two who died in recent days on the world's highest mountain. Credit: AP Photo/Tashi Sherpa, file

UBC faculty of medicine mourns loss of colleague who died climbing Mount Everest

VANCOUVER – A Vancouver man has died while trying to pursue his lifelong dream of climbing Mount Everest.

The University of British Columbia's faculty of medicine says it is mourning the unexpected death of Dr. Pieter Swart, an anesthesiologist and associate professor at the school.

Dr. Hamed Umedaly, one of Swart's colleagues in the university's anesthesiology department, says Swart was a "beloved friend" who had an "insatiable wanderlust."

In a post shared online by the university, Umedaly says Swart died Thursday "while descending below Camp 4 on Everest/ Chomolungma due to an undefined, at this point, respiratory event."

It says he was pursuing a childhood dream of "being on top of the world" and describes Swart as a respected and caring doctor.

The post says a memorial will be arranged with Swart's family.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2023.

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