For 12 days when rescue efforts had to end due to bad weather, boring climbers are declining as injured climbers stuck in Kyrgyzstan mountains.
Natalia Nagovitsina was descending from the peak of Jengish Chox, or victory peak, at Kyrgyzstan’s border with China, when she broke her leg on August 12th.
A spokesman for Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Emergency told CNN with a message that an experienced climber is stuck in the mountains despite repeated rescue efforts in which an experienced climber claimed the lives of another climber.
A group of climbers reached Nagovitsina after being injured in a Russian and Italian media report. They were able to provide her with some supplies, but they were unable to evacuate her due to the extreme circumstances of the mountains at the time.
Italian climber Luka Sinigalia, one of the climbers trying to save Nagovitsina, died on August 15th in the mountains, according to a statement from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ministry said bad weather has made it impossible for him to recover so far.
The surveillance drone last discovered Nagovitsyna on August 19th on a ridge not too far from the top of the mountain. The spokesman declined to comment on whether the ministry believes Nagovitsina is still alive.
But the worsening weather, including heavy snow, means that the search for Nagovitsyna was suspended on Saturday, the spokesman said.
Jengish Chokusu sits on the border between Kyrgyzstan and China.
At 24,400 feet (7,439 meters) above sea level, the peak of victory is the highest mountain on Mount Tenshige.
Due to the location, it is considered a very difficult mountain to climb. As the northernmost mountain, over 7,000 meters, the peak of victory is known for its extremely cold and harsh conditions and very short climbing seasons.
The mountain is considered to be one of the so-called snow leopard mountains. It is five 7,000 summits of the former Soviet Union. Climbing all five is considered a great achievement, and only about 700 people have done it, including around 30 women.
Nagovitsyna’s husband Sergei Nagovitsyn died during an expedition to Khan-Tengri, another of the five snow leopard peaks. Natalia was with him while climbing. According to reports, she refused to leave him until rescuers arrived.
