Climber dies attempting to rescue injured Russian woman on Kyrgyzstan's highest mountain; search suspended
A search for a Russian climber stranded on Kyrgyzstan's highest mountain has been suspended indefinitely due to extreme weather, following the death of a rescuer, authorities said Saturday.
Natalia Nagovitsyna, whose husband died on another mountain four years ago, broke her leg while climbing the 24,406-foot Victory Peak at an altitude of roughly 23,000 feet. She has been stranded for nearly two weeks. By comparison, Mount Everest is 29,032 feet tall.
An Italian climber, Luca Sinigaglia, died on August 15 while attempting to rescue her. Italian authorities later sent rescuers by helicopter to recover his body. Efforts to save Nagovitsyna, who turned 48 on August 20, have so far been unsuccessful.
Rescue operations have been further hampered by a helicopter crash and a climbing team forced to stop their ascent when their leader became seriously ill. Kyrgyz authorities confirmed Saturday that deteriorating weather conditions have halted all remaining rescue efforts.
A drone confirmed Nagovitsyna was alive on Tuesday, but by Thursday, no signs of life were observed. Temperatures at the summit currently drop to around -22°F at night, with strong winds and snowstorms.
“All climbers, all experts share the view that she is unfortunately no longer alive,” said Adil Chargynov, spokesman for the Kyrgyz emergency situations ministry. Dmitry Grekov, head of the Victory Peak base camp, added, “We know where she is. But it’s impossible to get there. No one has ever been evacuated from this altitude manually; only helicopters could do it, and Kyrgyzstan does not have such helicopters.”
Victory Peak, also called Jengish Chokusu, is the tallest in the Tian Shan mountain range and straddles the China–Kyrgyzstan border. Nagovitsyna’s husband, Sergei, died of a stroke in 2021 while climbing Khan Tengri, the highest peak in Kazakhstan.
The region has seen several recent mountaineering tragedies: a Chinese climber died earlier this month on K2 after being struck by falling rocks, and German mountaineer and Olympic gold medalist Laura Dahlmeier died in July attempting another nearby peak.
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