A helicopter of the Ministry of Defense of Kyrgyzstan remains in the area of Pobeda Peak and is ready to join the operation to search for and rescue Russian climber Natalia Nagovitsina if necessary, the ministry reported.
The Defense Ministry emphasized that no order has yet been received to halt the search for the Russian climber.
Eight qualified mountaineers and the helicopter are involved in the operation.
The operation to rescue 47-year-old Nagovitsina, who has been stranded at an altitude of 7,200 meters since August 12 with a broken leg, is being complicated by extreme weather conditions — heavy snowfall and zero visibility.
According to base camp head Dmitry Grekov, the chances of the climber’s survival at that altitude without communication, food, and in a torn tent are extremely small.
The Ministry of Defense of Kyrgyzstan has previously carried out several rescue operations, evacuating 62 climbers and tourists. Search-and-rescue missions aimed at bringing down injured and deceased mountaineers to base camps are ongoing.
Pobeda Peak rises to 7,439 meters and is considered one of the most challenging climbs in the world. More than 80 climbers have lost their lives there.
