MUMBAI: A gathering of mourners, stunned by the avoidable loss of a young life, gathered at Ghatkopar crematorium on Friday evening. They were there to attend the last rites of 35-year-old trekker Dhaval Shah who died after suffering a cardiac arrest in Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir on Wednesday.Dhaval had joined what is called the Chadar Trek in Zanskar Valley where temperatures drop to minus 30-35 during January and oxygen levels drop drastically. Some professionals describe it as the " wildest trek " on the planet. The location is popular with international tourists. In fact, a rush of visitors has been flocking there after reports that the trek will be curtailed in 2020.Shah suffered a cardiac arrest near Tibb Cave, and the end came swiftly. His remains were found when the Indian Air Force launched an air rescue on Thursday. His body was airlifted to Leh and transported to Mumbai on Friday.Shah was involved in the family business of construction. He lived with his parents and wife in Tulsa House, Ghatkopar East. The couple has no children. His extended family lives in the same apartment building.His cousin Viral Master said, "His father received a phone call from Ladakh at 6.00pm Wednesday. Dhaval had passed away around 1.00pm but the organisers did not have a satellite phone at hand so communication was delayed. They informed him that two trekkers had taken ill, of which Dhaval was no more. His father was so confused that he rang his elder daughter and asked her to check on her brother."Master said Shah did not have a history of heart ailments. "He was fond of adventure sports and had undertaken small treks in Maharashtra over two or three years. But this was his first time in Ladakh at that altitude. He reportedly complained of pain in the leg and said he felt unwell and would not like to continue the trip. We are not certain what followed afterwards but it was all over within two hours."The family reached out to MP Kirit Somaiya, Ghatkopar's Gujarati community, elder Ramesh Morabiya and Jyotin Jain, who arranges transport and logistics, to repatriate the body. Shah's cousins travelled to Ladakh to bring him back.Dhaval Shah's family sounded a note of caution for amateur trekkers as well as organisers. "Attractive pictures and promotions lure young youths to adventure. But safety measures and basic equipment like satellite phones, as well as doctors, must be available on site. Today it is my young brother, tomorrow it will be somebody else," Master said.

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