Overview
- A wall of snow and ice swept down Mount Mizhirgi and struck a group of 33 climbers, a disaster that occurred on Sunday and left 11 people dead.
- Ten climbers managed to descend on their own, six were hospitalized with injuries, and the fate of six others remains unknown.
- More than 50 emergency personnel and Mi-8 helicopters are conducting high-altitude search-and-rescue operations that are being slowed by steep, glaciated slopes and the danger of further avalanches.
- The Investigative Committee has opened criminal negligence proceedings and the Kabardino-Balkaria prosecutor’s office has launched an inquiry into the expedition and response.
- Preliminary footage circulated by witnesses shows what appears to be a hanging-glacier collapse above the route and officials are reviewing that evidence as part of a broader look at safety on the heavily glaciated Bezengi Gorge, a popular but hazardous mountaineering area.