At least 13 people are now confirmed to have died after an avalanche struck a group of climbers in the North Caucasus republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, Russian emergency services said Wednesday.
The avalanche swept down Mount Mizhirgi, one of the highest peaks in the North Caucasus, at around 5 p.m. local time on Sunday, hitting a group of 33 climbers. Ten climbers had made their own way down the mountain by Monday morning.
Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said 12 bodies had been lowered to the Bezengi base camp on Tuesday evening, with the fate of five climbers still unknown. By Wednesday morning, the ministry said rescuers found the body of the 13th climber.
Russia’s National Guard said some of its servicemen were among the dead. It also denied reports that the victims included members of its elite Vityaz formation, which specializes in high-risk law enforcement operations.
One of those killed was a professional climber involved in training “representatives of law enforcement agencies,” Alexander Yakovenko, a member of the Russian Mountaineering Federation, told the newspaper Kommersant.
Search and rescue efforts have been hampered by difficult terrain and a high risk of further avalanches, officials said.
