PUNE: A 57-year-old financial adviser, known to walk eight to 10 km daily and an avid trekker for the last few years, died due to a cardiac arrest during a forest trek at Bhimashankar on Sunday.
The deceased man was identified as Ramesh Bhagwan Patil of Pimple Nilakh. He is survived by his wife and a daughter, said the Pune rural police.
A group of 12 professionals, including Patil, had planned a monsoon trek from Malegaon Budruk in Maval tehsil to Bhimashankar in Ambegaon tehsil.
They started their journey from Malegaon Budruk at 6.30 am on Sunday. “When they reached ‘Gupt Bhimashankar’, about five km before the main Bhimashankar temple, Patil collapsed. His friends gave him CPR, before shifting him to a primary health centre at Taleghar – about 20 km from the spot. On doctor’s advice, he was shifted to a rural hospital at Ghodegaon, where he was declared brought dead. The post-mortem report revealed he had died due to a cardiac arrest,” said assistant police inspector Kiran Bhalekar of the Ghodegaon police station.
Anand Shalgaonkar, who was with Patil during the trek, told TOI, “He was the one to inspire us to do this difficult trek. He had done it often over the last few years and knew the route well. He was fine and we had lunch together in the afternoon. He collapsed as we were closing in on the Bhimashankar temple.”
Shalgaonkar, a lawyer in the Mumbai high court, said, “Patil was a professional trekker. He had trekked forts like Rajgad and Torna. Last year, he had climbed the Kalsubai peak, the highest peak in Maharashtra (1,646 metre), without a break. He was that fit. We are shocked with his demise.”
Some of his friends said they faced difficulties shifting Patil to the hospital. “There was no ambulance or doctors at the pilgrimage place, where thousands come daily to visit one of the Jyotirlinga temples in India. How can the district administration ignore this aspect?” said a friend.
Shalgaonkar said, “We took him in a police van. We shifted the body into the ambulance only when we were 20 km away from Ghodegaon. We could have saved him if he had received timely medical aid. What happens to people who live in villages near Bhimashankar?”
Umesh Zirpe, a veteran mountaineer, said, “People above 40 years old should do their medical check-ups regularly, especially during a strenuous long trek. Often, people do not talk about or hide their physical exertion and it could prove life-threatening. Trek managers should have a fair knowledge about the participants’ health.”
The deceased man was identified as Ramesh Bhagwan Patil of Pimple Nilakh. He is survived by his wife and a daughter, said the Pune rural police.
A group of 12 professionals, including Patil, had planned a monsoon trek from Malegaon Budruk in Maval tehsil to Bhimashankar in Ambegaon tehsil.
They started their journey from Malegaon Budruk at 6.30 am on Sunday. “When they reached ‘Gupt Bhimashankar’, about five km before the main Bhimashankar temple, Patil collapsed. His friends gave him CPR, before shifting him to a primary health centre at Taleghar – about 20 km from the spot. On doctor’s advice, he was shifted to a rural hospital at Ghodegaon, where he was declared brought dead. The post-mortem report revealed he had died due to a cardiac arrest,” said assistant police inspector Kiran Bhalekar of the Ghodegaon police station.
Anand Shalgaonkar, who was with Patil during the trek, told TOI, “He was the one to inspire us to do this difficult trek. He had done it often over the last few years and knew the route well. He was fine and we had lunch together in the afternoon. He collapsed as we were closing in on the Bhimashankar temple.”
Shalgaonkar, a lawyer in the Mumbai high court, said, “Patil was a professional trekker. He had trekked forts like Rajgad and Torna. Last year, he had climbed the Kalsubai peak, the highest peak in Maharashtra (1,646 metre), without a break. He was that fit. We are shocked with his demise.”
Some of his friends said they faced difficulties shifting Patil to the hospital. “There was no ambulance or doctors at the pilgrimage place, where thousands come daily to visit one of the Jyotirlinga temples in India. How can the district administration ignore this aspect?” said a friend.
Shalgaonkar said, “We took him in a police van. We shifted the body into the ambulance only when we were 20 km away from Ghodegaon. We could have saved him if he had received timely medical aid. What happens to people who live in villages near Bhimashankar?”
Umesh Zirpe, a veteran mountaineer, said, “People above 40 years old should do their medical check-ups regularly, especially during a strenuous long trek. Often, people do not talk about or hide their physical exertion and it could prove life-threatening. Trek managers should have a fair knowledge about the participants’ health.”
