Five climbers died on the ascent to the highest mountain in Russia – PRAVDA.sk

Five climbers died on the ascent to Elbrus, Russia’s highest mountain, the Russian media reported. Another 14 rescuers were brought to safety on Friday night, but they have frostbite and some of them have broken limbs.

Illustration photo: Climbers during the ascent to the Elbrus mountains

“During a search and rescue operation on Mount Elbrus, 14 people were rescued, transported to the village of Azau using snowmobiles and handed over for medical treatment,” said representatives of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, according to Interfax. The rescue operation lasted more than seven hours.

A group of climbers, which included people from different parts of Russia, asked for help after the weather worsened during their ascent to Elbrus. It was at an altitude of 5,400 meters above sea level, where the wind speed reached 40 meters per second and the temperature dropped to minus twenty degrees Celsius.

The rescue operation was complicated by poor visibility and the fact that the group broke up and not all climbers were in one place. Elbrus measures 5,642 meters and is the highest peak of the Caucasus.