The investigation to find a mountaineer blocked for 11 days at the altitude in the mountains in Kyrguistan, Central Asia, was suspended due to climatic conditions, rescuers who described the “impossible” operation, this Saturday, August 23.
Natalia Nagovitsyna, from Russian nationality, broke one leg on August 12 during the rise in Pic Pobeda, the highest peak in Kyrgyzstan and one of the most dangerous in Central Asia, while it was about 7,000 meters above sea level, according to Kirghize authorities.
A dead mountaineer trying to reach it
An Italian mountaineer, Luca Sinigaglia, who tried to rescue him, died on August 15 during an escalation, and Italian rescuers went to the place to try to recover his body, using a helicopter, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy.
The operation was launched to save the Russian mountaineer, who was 48 years old on August 20 according to the Russian media, ended in several failures. A rescue helicopter had an accident in the mountains, while a group of mountaineers had to stop the ascent due to a serious discomfort of its leader, according to the authorities.
“The climatic conditions have suddenly deteriorated today, so all rescue operations have been suspended,” said spokesman Kyrgyzstan on Saturday, Adil Tchargynov, from the Russian news agency Ria Novosti.
Difficult climatic conditions
Temperatures are currently about -30 ° C at night in the upper part of the Peak of Pobeda, accompanied by wind and snow storms, according to a source in the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kirghiz, cited by the official Russian agency Tass.
“Let’s be realistic, this year, climatic conditions will not allow rescuers to access Nagovitsyna,” said this source.
According to Adil Tcharynov, “all mountaineers, all experts share the point of view that unfortunately it is no longer alive.”
“We know where he is. But it is impossible to access him,” said Dmitri Grekov, head of the Basic Camp for Pobeda Pic, at the Tass agency.
No possible evacuation
According to him, “nobody has ever been evacuated” of such altitude in this mountain: “It is unreal to do it manually, only by helicopter, but there is no helicopter capable of doing so in Kyrgyzston.”
Natalia Nagovitsyna’s husband, Sergei, passionate about mountaineering too, died of stroke in 2021, during the ascent to Khan Tengri, the highest peak of Kazakhstan, according to the Russian media.
Source: BFM TV
