A dramatic video showing a stranger rushing to save an unconscious six-month-old baby suffering from oxygen deprivation at a high-altitude mountain pass has gone viral on social media, sparking conversations around the dangers of travelling to extreme elevations with infants.
The clip was shared by Rattan Dhillon on X, along with a detailed warning about altitude sickness and the risks of low oxygen levels in mountainous regions.
In the video, a visibly panicked father was seen carrying his unconscious infant in his arms near a parked vehicle at Shinku La Pass, which is located on the boundary between Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh and sits at an altitude of nearly 15,000 feet.
Another man quickly opened the door of his car and urgently asked the father to sit inside. Realising the child was likely suffering from a lack of oxygen due to the altitude, he immediately pulled out a portable oxygen canister and carefully placed the oxygen mask over the baby’s mouth and nose.
The atmosphere in the clip appeared tense, with the adults surrounding the infant moving quickly while trying to calm the family. Moments later, according to the caption accompanying the video, the baby regained consciousness and started crying again within seconds of receiving oxygen support.
Sharing the incident online, Dhillon warned travellers about underestimating the dangers of high-altitude travel, especially with very young children.
He explained that the family had been stranded at the pass for hours and allegedly had no idea the baby’s condition was linked to oxygen deprivation and the extreme altitude. He stressed that acute mountain sickness (AMS) and low oxygen levels could become dangerous even for healthy adults, making the risks significantly higher for infants.
In his caption, he urged people travelling to mountainous regions to educate themselves about altitude sickness beforehand, remain hydrated, consult doctors before trips, carry oxygen cylinders, and avoid taking very small children to extreme altitudes whenever possible.
“This time angels came to save the child,” he wrote, while warning that “not every story ends the same way.”
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The video sparked waves of concern online, with several users pointing out how severely underestimated high-altitude conditions could be.
Several commenters stressed that mountain travel was not comparable to regular hill-station tourism, adding that oxygen levels, weather conditions, and physical strain could change drastically at such elevations.
Others explained that even oxygen cylinders were not always enough in serious cases, as altitude sickness could progress into life-threatening conditions like pulmonary or cerebral oedema.
Some users also criticised the family for travelling to such extreme altitudes with an infant, pointing out that many regions already discouraged or restricted very young children from entering high-altitude zones because of the risks involved.
At the same time, several viewers praised the quick-thinking stranger who intervened with the oxygen canister, saying his awareness and immediate response may have prevented a tragedy.
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