Efforts to rescue a Russian mountaineer stranded for nearly two weeks on Kyrgyzstan’s highest peak have been suspended due to worsening weather, raising fears about her survival
Reports by CNN revealed that Natalia Nagovitsyna, an experienced climber, broke her leg on August 12 while descending from Jengish Chokusu (Victory Peak), a 24,400-foot mountain at Kyrgyzstan’s border with China.
Rescue teams have made repeated attempts to reach her but were forced back by extreme conditions. One of the climbers who tried to help, Italian mountaineer Luca Sinigaglia, died on August 15, and his body has yet to be recovered.
A surveillance drone last spotted Nagovitsyna on August 19, and authorities said she was alive at the time. However, officials have declined to say if they believe she is still alive, as heavy snowfall and poor visibility forced the suspension of operations on Saturday.
Victory Peak, part of the Tian Shan mountain range, is infamous for its unforgiving climate and short climbing season. It is also one of the legendary “Snow Leopard” mountains in the former Soviet Union, regarded as a pinnacle challenge for mountaineers.
Nagovitsyna’s tragedy follows another loss in her mountaineering journey — her husband, Sergei Nagovitsyn, died on a previous expedition to Khan-Tengri, another of the Snow Leopard peaks.