Search for missing foreign climbers on Pobeda Peak has been stopped. The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kyrgyzstan reported.
The search and rescue operations were carried out by three groups of rescuers, a total of 21 employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. In addition, a helicopter of the Ministry of Defense of the Kyrgyz Republic was involved to fly over the alleged climbers’ fall site with photo and video shooting.
«Unfortunately, two visual overflights did not bring any results,» the ministry said.
It is known that the rescuers reached the South Enilchek camp at the foot of the Pobeda Peak at an altitude of 4,100 meters, where the air temperature fluctuates between 20-30 degrees below zero. Then they continued to search at an altitude of more than 6,000 meters.
The last time the missing group contacted was on July 19 from a height of about 6,900 meters. Thanks to data from the GPS tracker of one of the missing climbers, place of the fall was determined.
«The group flew about 1 kilometer down a steep wall, it is almost impossible to get close to this section of the route,» the Ministry of Emergency Situations informed.
The ministry explained that taking into account the difficult weather conditions, avalanches and the threat to the life of rescuers, a decision was made to return them to the camp and further to their places of permanent deployment.
Climbers Svetlana and Dmitry Pavlenko, together with a group, reached Pobeda Peak. Connection with them was lost on July 19.
«Dmitry and Svetlana Pavlenko are outstanding climbers who lived in Kyrgyzstan for many years and dreamed of our citizenship. Dmitry Pavlenko is a world champion, master of sports of international class, two-time world Golden Ice Axe. They were active members of the Kyrgyz Federation of Mountaineering and the founders of the promising mountaineering Alga club,» the President of the Federation of Mountaineering and Climbing of the Kyrgyz Republic Eduard Kubatov said.
