Unknown medical issue claims the life of Japanese climber on Denali

On Tuesday, a Japanese climber on Denali died from unknown medical issues. According to the National Park Service, 66-year-old Masayuki Ikeda of Toride, Japan became ill on Monday night while his team was making an attempt at the summit of North America’s highest peak.

Early Tuesday morning, another team was descending from the summit when they found Ikeda and his three climbing partners between 18,400 and 19,000 feet of elevation. The National Park Service says Ikeda was unable to walk and had an “altered mental status.”

The second team helped move Ikeda to High Camp at 17,200 feet, and used a satellite phone to call for a rescue.

The National Park Service launched its high-altitude rescue helicopter from Talkeetna at 7:45. Masayuki Ikeda was loaded into the helicopter’s basket and flown to 14,200-foot camp. On arrival at camp, Ikeda had no pulse. National Park Service and military rescue personnel attempted to resuscitate Ikeda while flying further down Denali to base camp, and continued with advanced life support care when reaching camp. Rescuers were unable to resuscitate Masayuki Ikeda, who was declared deceased at 9:40 a.m. on Tuesday. His remains were flown to Talkeetna and transferred to the Alaska State Medical Examiner.