A Singaporean climber has died on Manaslu, the first foreigner lost this autumn

Lau Wee Seng, a 50-year-old climber from Singapore, died on Manaslu on Wednesday 17 September while descending from Camp II at about 6,000 metres. He had spent the night at Camp II on an acclimatisation rotation and was on his way back down towards Base Camp when he felt unwell, stopped to rest, and died. Police in Gorkha confirmed the death. The cause has not been established; an initial assessment points to a possible heart attack. He is the first foreign climber to die on the mountain this autumn and the second death of the season.

What happened on the mountain

He died during the routine part of an expedition, not on a summit push. Lau reached Samagaun, the village below Manaslu Base Camp, on 7 September. On 16 September he climbed to Camp II and spent the night there, the usual way climbers teach their bodies to cope with thinner air before a summit attempt. The next morning he began the descent. He felt uncomfortable on the way down, stopped to rest, and died shortly afterwards. Deputy Superintendent of Police Rajkumar Shrestha of the District Police Office in Gorkha confirmed the death.

Nothing more is established about the cause. Early reports cite a possible heart attack; that is an initial assessment, not a finding, and we will not speculate beyond it.

The second death of the season

Earlier this season a young Nepali porter died at Base Camp. Tashi Sherpa, 20, died in his tent at Manaslu Base Camp, the climbing magazine Gripped reported. Lau’s death is the second on the mountain this autumn, and the first of a foreign climber.

A crowded and difficult season

Manaslu is Nepal’s busiest mountain in autumn, and this year it has been harder than usual to reach and to climb. The Department of Tourism had issued permits to 466 foreign climbers, 342 men and 124 women, by 17 September, and the rope-fixing teams had secured the route to Camp 3. On the morning of 16 September an avalanche on the slope above Camp III disrupted that work; the fixing team was unhurt, and four more Sherpa guides went up with 1,300 metres of extra rope.

The approach was disrupted too. A flash flood near Namrung on 6 September took out the bridges on the walk in, and many teams flew straight to Samagaun instead, as we reported in our piece on the Manaslu flood. Operators were aiming for summit pushes around 21 to 23 September, and the forecaster Chris Tomer, quoted by Alan Arnette, has flagged a tropical system that could bring bad weather from about 24 to 28 September.

Our thoughts are with his family

A death on a mountain is a loss to a family first, and everything else comes after that. We extend our condolences to Lau Wee Seng’s family and friends, to his climbing team, and to the family of Tashi Sherpa. We will update this report if the authorities publish a cause of death. For the wider picture of this autumn on Manaslu, see our report on the season.

Sources: District Police Office, Gorkha, as reported by Khabarhub; Mothership (17 September 2026); South China Morning Post; Xinhua (17 September 2026); Gripped (17 September 2026); Department of Tourism figures as reported by Nepalnews (17 September 2026); Alan Arnette, “Manaslu Avalanche and Potential Typhoon at Month End” (16 September 2026).

Cover photo: 小鸿 刘 via Pexels (Pexels License). Section photos: Dhruv Jangid via Pexels (Pexels licence); 虎 曼 via Pexels (Pexels licence); Sakshi Patwa via Pexels (Pexels licence); Julia Volk via Pexels (Pexels licence).