Adventurer
Henry Worsley has died in an attempt to make history by crossing the
Antarctic solo, his wife said. The explorer was 48 kilometers (30 miles)
from the finish in his 1,000-mile trek when he called for help.
Worsley
died in the Clinica Magallanes in Punta Arenas, Chile, "despite all
efforts" of medical staff, his wife Joanna Worsley said in a statement
on Monday.
"It
is with heartbroken sadness I let you know that my husband, Henry
Worsley, has died following complete organ failure," she wrote.
He
was 71 days into his trek when he called for help and was airlifted to a
hospital in Chile on Friday suffering from exhaustion and severe
dehydration. Efforts to revive him at the hospital were unsuccessful,
she said.
The
55-year-old former Army officer from London had hoped to become the
first man to cross the Antarctica solo, unsupported and without
assistance. He had been pulling supplies on a sled while attempting to
complete Ernest Shackleton's unfinished trans-Antarctic voyage a century
ago.
Shackleton's
journey turned into a desperate mission of survival after his ship, the
Endurance, was trapped and sunk by ice in 1915, leaving his team
stranded.
For
this feat he had raised about $143,000 (132,000 euros) for the
Endeavour Fund, a charity to help people wounded in the British military
and backed by members of the British royal family.
"Harry and I are very sad to hear of the loss
of Henry Worsley," Prince William said in a tribute. "He was a man who
showed great courage and determination and we are incredibly proud to be
associated with him."
A
statement on Worsley's personal website said he was found to be
suffering from peritonitis, an inflammation of the lining of the
abdomen.
He
expressed his dismay at having to pull out so close to the end after
covering almost 1,500 kilometers on foot, dragging his equipment in a
sledge.
"It is with sadness that I report it is journey's end -- so close to my goal," he wrote.
jar/jil (AFP, AP)
Culled from m.dw.com
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