Hong Kong visitor 1st to die on Tibet Railroad
Aug 28th, 2006, 07:58 PM
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Hong Kong visitor 1st to die on Tibet Railroad
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_d...amp;con_type=1
Happened late last month. 75-year old man from Hong Kong boarded the train from Lhasa back to Qinghai, against the advise of his doctor in Lhasa, and suffered heart attack.
Happened late last month. 75-year old man from Hong Kong boarded the train from Lhasa back to Qinghai, against the advise of his doctor in Lhasa, and suffered heart attack.
Aug 28th, 2006, 11:52 PM
#2
Considering that old men die all the time, from heart attacks and other things, I wondered why this might be significant. Also, it is not surprising that the Communist government might hide unpleasant facts for weeks.
What is surpising is the staggering number of illnesses associated with altitude sickness on this train route.
Over 550,000 workers and engineers suffered from altitude sickness during construction. 14500 hospitalized, 3500 critical. How is this possible? After the first THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND workers got sick how do you go about getting another quarter million to go, and get sick?
You'd think they would have emergency oxygen on the train.
If you want to get rich in China, start selling personal oxygen bottles, or open an oxygen bar on the train.
What is surpising is the staggering number of illnesses associated with altitude sickness on this train route.
Over 550,000 workers and engineers suffered from altitude sickness during construction. 14500 hospitalized, 3500 critical. How is this possible? After the first THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND workers got sick how do you go about getting another quarter million to go, and get sick?
You'd think they would have emergency oxygen on the train.
If you want to get rich in China, start selling personal oxygen bottles, or open an oxygen bar on the train.
Aug 29th, 2006, 04:18 AM
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The significance is that there are people who continue to ignore warnings about the danger in high-altitude illness. Whether they think they're fit or young or whatever... It is a real danger. Also, many city dwellers do not understand they'll be going through very remote areas. If you suffer a heart attack, there's little help.
As for finding workers... Well, despite the new found wealth along the coastal cities, the interior is still very poor. If the government offers you a job that pays 5 to 10x what you can earn, many will go. Working a couple of years up there may be more than they can earn in ten. Will you go? Many will.
They do have emergency oxygen on the train. But because there are no major towns between Lhasa and Germu, there's nothing they can do for you if you suffer a heart attack.
As for finding workers... Well, despite the new found wealth along the coastal cities, the interior is still very poor. If the government offers you a job that pays 5 to 10x what you can earn, many will go. Working a couple of years up there may be more than they can earn in ten. Will you go? Many will.
They do have emergency oxygen on the train. But because there are no major towns between Lhasa and Germu, there's nothing they can do for you if you suffer a heart attack.
Aug 29th, 2006, 09:09 AM
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Just talked to my colleague from mainland China. She says some Chinese news source has indicated that there have been 8 deaths among passengers since the railway opened July 1. I'll post link if I can find them in English.
Aug 29th, 2006, 11:36 AM
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Of course people will go for the money.
But wasn't it the government that (first) ignored the warnings about the danger of altitude sickness?
After the first few HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of illnesses, THOUSANDS of hospitalizations and critical illnesses, and I assume some number of deaths (hundreds?) among workers didn't the authorities realize that this project might be a bad idea? That was my point. After all, these workers were presumably at some degree of respiratory fitness just to be able to engage in the work, but they got sick (and died). How do you go about throwing 550,000 bodies at a project like that? It is like a Great Wall project. Maybe that is 50,000 workers getting sick an average of 11 times each?
So did the 270,000 people who have taken the train have any warning? If the H.K. media just learned about this then how did the people get the warning (I am assuming that the HK media would be more on top of things than the mainland media ? ).
But wasn't it the government that (first) ignored the warnings about the danger of altitude sickness?
After the first few HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of illnesses, THOUSANDS of hospitalizations and critical illnesses, and I assume some number of deaths (hundreds?) among workers didn't the authorities realize that this project might be a bad idea? That was my point. After all, these workers were presumably at some degree of respiratory fitness just to be able to engage in the work, but they got sick (and died). How do you go about throwing 550,000 bodies at a project like that? It is like a Great Wall project. Maybe that is 50,000 workers getting sick an average of 11 times each?
So did the 270,000 people who have taken the train have any warning? If the H.K. media just learned about this then how did the people get the warning (I am assuming that the HK media would be more on top of things than the mainland media ? ).
Aug 29th, 2006, 12:05 PM
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The Tibet Railroad is very important strategically for the Chinese government and the Liberation Army. They don't spend all this effort just to bring tourists to the area.
There had been lots of discussion about this, and one of the conclusions that many come to is that the opening of the railroad is basically the last nail in the coffin for Tibetian independence. That is worth a lot of lives and money for Beijing.
As for the news media, yes, it just broke Hong Kong news yesterday. Which is very surprising. It's clear that the mainland media won't report it, but I don't know why it takes several weeks before someone tell the HK media. While part of the HK media, like some major newspaper and the TV stations, are afraid to report much bad news from the mainland, some news magazine and radio stations are not.
Anyways, Hong Kong tourists going to Tibet (or say Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan) always get warning about altitude sickness. Problem is that many of them ignore them. When my parents went to Tibet with a HK tour group, they got multiple warnings about not to run, not to consume alcohol, not to rush, etc. And guess what? First afternoon, one of the guy hurried to take photos, ran here and there, and then spent the next 4 days in the hospital.
There had been lots of discussion about this, and one of the conclusions that many come to is that the opening of the railroad is basically the last nail in the coffin for Tibetian independence. That is worth a lot of lives and money for Beijing.
As for the news media, yes, it just broke Hong Kong news yesterday. Which is very surprising. It's clear that the mainland media won't report it, but I don't know why it takes several weeks before someone tell the HK media. While part of the HK media, like some major newspaper and the TV stations, are afraid to report much bad news from the mainland, some news magazine and radio stations are not.
Anyways, Hong Kong tourists going to Tibet (or say Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan) always get warning about altitude sickness. Problem is that many of them ignore them. When my parents went to Tibet with a HK tour group, they got multiple warnings about not to run, not to consume alcohol, not to rush, etc. And guess what? First afternoon, one of the guy hurried to take photos, ran here and there, and then spent the next 4 days in the hospital.
