American tourist dies while trekking to Phalut

An American tourist died while trekking to the famous Sandakphu-Phalut in the Darjeeling district. 69-year-old Glen Conway of USA died at Moley in between Sandakphu and Phalut. Divisional Forest Officer, Darjeeling Wildlife Division stated that Glen had started trekking in a group of 19 from Maneybhanjyang. They were accompanied by Dipesh Tamang, a guide. "

The dead body is being brought down by the police from the Lhodhama police station for post mortem. As this is a remote area with no cell network, details of the death are awaited," stated Amit P Javalgi, Superintendent of Police, Darjeeling. Sandakphu at an altitude of 11,929 ft is the highest point of the state of West Bengal. 21 km away from Sandakphu is the second highest point on the Singhalila ridge–Phalut, at an altitude of 11,811 ft. Both Sandakphu and Phalut are world famous trekking destinations.

The spots are located in the Singhalila National Park, one of the highest National Parks in the world. This National Park is a bio-diverse hotspot with a total area of 78.9 sq kms.