On Mount Elbrus, seven people have died in a single week, including six adults and an 11-year-old child. Due to strong winds, snowstorms, and poor visibility, rescuers have so far been unable to recover all the bodies, reports infohub.kz.
According to the Main Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations for Kabardino-Balkaria, on July 26 at an altitude of 5,300 meters near the Red Fox hut, two climbers requested assistance. When rescuers reached them, one tourist had already died from hypothermia. The second was evacuated and did not require medical help. Both had registered their route before the climb. Due to bad weather, the body of the deceased remains on the mountain.
The day before, a group of climbers from Bosnia and Herzegovina needed help. One participant descended on his own and reported that his companions could not continue descending from an altitude of over 5,000 meters. High-altitude search and rescue team members were sent to find them. Of the six people left on the slope, only one survived. Five expedition members died, including a married couple and a local hospital doctor. 'The group was registered and experienced, but tragedy was unavoidable due to extremely harsh weather conditions — wind reached 45 km/h and intensified to about 70 km/h by morning,' the Telegram channel Baza wrote. Because of the snowstorm, the rescue operation was repeatedly interrupted. By the evening of July 26, the bodies of two victims had been recovered.
Following the tragedy, Russia's Investigative Committee opened a criminal case.
Another fatal incident occurred on July 19. A father and his 11-year-old son fell while descending the eastern slope of Elbrus. The child died, and the man sustained severe injuries. Preliminary reports indicate a safety rope snapped.
In the summer of 2025, a similar story was reported. 47-year-old Natalya Nagovitsyna broke her leg while descending from the highest point of the Tian Shan range — Peak Pobeda. She became stranded at an altitude of 7,000 meters without food or water. Multiple rescue attempts were made, but due to bad weather and high risk, the operation had to be abandoned. Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Emergency Situations is now considering assistance in evacuating the body of the Russian climber.