Seventeen-member parliamentary delegation experiencing altitude-related illnesses during Ladakh visit
A group of Indian MPs visiting Ladakh faced serious health issues thanks to the region's thin air and high altitudes.
The 17-member committee, led by Tiruchi Siva, traveled to Leh, at about 12,500 feet, and Pangong Lake, at 14,588 feet above sea level, where several MPs experienced breathlessness, rapid heartbeats, and dangerously low oxygen levels.
Some MPs required oxygen support
Some MPs needed oxygen support throughout the trip, especially those aged between 60 and 70.
Azamgarh MP Daroga Prasad Saroj was hospitalized after bleeding from his nose and mouth; Afzal Ansari's oxygen level dropped sharply and he had to rely on oxygen for most of the journey.
Afzal Ansari criticized the rushed itinerary for not allowing acclimatization time, a step doctors say is crucial in avoiding altitude sickness, with Dr. Yangdol from Leh said visitors from the plains often develop complications at high altitude and that rest for at least a day is prescribed to acclimatize.