A 54-year-old tourist visiting Rara has died of altitude sickness.

Bhuwan Bishwakarma, a resident of ward 10 of Dhulikhel Municipality, Kavre, passed away on Monday morning after experiencing breathing difficulties, according to Mugu Chief District Officer Kamal Prasad Pandey.

Dr Nakul Shahi of Mugu District Hospital said Bishwakarma had arrived at the hospital around 9pm on Sunday with respiratory issues. After a check-up, doctors found low oxygen levels, Rastriya Samachar Samiti reported.

He returned to Salleri but was brought back to the hospital by his companions in an ambulance around 6am on Monday. Doctors pronounced him dead upon arrival.

According to Dr Shahi, Bishwakarma was a patient of chronic asthma. His death was caused by a cardio-pulmonary arrest triggered by altitude sickness, worsened by the cold weather and oxygen deficiency in the high-altitude region.

Bishwakarma was among a group of 25 tourists who had reached Rara Lake on Sunday.