Dad died during charity trek to mount everest
A “PASSIONATE and determined” Cardiff man died after suffering complications with high altitude close to Mount Everest base camp in Nepal.
Husband and father-of-two Kellinu Portelli, 54, had been in good spirits in the days before his death, posting regular updates on Facebook saying he was enjoying a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity while trying to raise money for Marie Curie Hospice.
He had spent considerable time training for the ascent and was excited for his new challenge, an inquest hearing at Pontypridd Coroners’ Court heard yesterday.
He was a keen runner with Les Croupiers in Llandaff, and often went to the gym, Mr Portelli’s widow Donna Portelli said.
She told the hearing how he had completed six marathons, many more half marathons, and regularly ran up and down Pen-y-Fan in preparation for his fundraising mission to reach the top of Everest in October 2019.
“Kellinu was one of the most passionate men I ever met,” Ms Portelli said.
“He was a determined man in every way. He was extremely fit, strong, and he was fully prepared for trekking both physically and emotionally.
“Willingly giving up would not have been an option for him. This had tragic consequences. It has been an unfathomable period in our lives.”
Mr Portelli began posting diarytype entries on his well-followed Facebook page as soon as he arrived in Kathmandu on October 20, 2019.
His friend Peter Spence recalled how the entries were “positive and excitable”.
But as the days went on the messages became more pragmatic about the challenges he was facing.
On October 26, at more than 3,500m, he wrote: “Here in Dinboche. All is well. Hard today, but I’m fed and watered and ready for bed.”
At more than 4,400m he then wrote: “A very hard day today but got to the end.”
He wrote how he had “started to doubt myself ”, before adding “one day closer to my dream and raising cash for Marie Curie”.
By the morning of October 28 Mr Portelli and his accompanying Sherpa had reached Lobuche, 5.3 miles from base camp.
Those accompanying Mr Portelli on the ascent told how they had repeatedly checked his oxygen levels, which was at 62 and then 60.
They offered to take him back down the mountain, but Mr Portelli said he wanted to continue.
Mrs Portelli, whose husband’s funeral was the first ever to be held at the Principality Stadium in November 2019, told the inquest how in a phone call to Mr Portelli earlier in the day she had become concerned that he was dehydrated as he hadn’t been to the toilet at all on that day.
In response he sent her a picture of his lunch and a bottle of water to try to put her mind at ease.
On that evening Mr Portelli went to bed early at 8pm after thanking each guide for another day of climbing.
Willingly giving up would not have been an option for him
His guide placed an oximeter in his room and a bottle of hot water, and told him to call if he felt ill.
The next morning, on October 29 – a day Mr Portelli had expected to reach base camp, he was found dead in his locked room at around 6am.
The Nepalese authorities ruled out any sign of injury or third-party involvement in his death. A toxicological examination found 142mg per decilitre of alcohol was found in Mr Portelli’s blood – not a level associated with fatalities.
Senior lecturer in forensic pathology at Cardiff University Dr Stephen Leadbeatter agreed there was no evidence of injury, disease, or thirdparty involvement in Mr Portelli’s death.
He recommended a medical cause of death as high-altitude pulmonary edema.
Coroner David Regan issued a medical cause of death as 1A: Highaltitude pulmonary edema, with a narrative formal conclusion.
He said: “Kellinu Portelli died as a result of high-altitude sickness while trekking in Nepal.”
Mr Portelli raised more than £11,000 for the Marie Curie Hospice.
Kellinu Portelli’s wife Donna