Five climbers have died in a fall on 4,754m Klyuchevskaya Sopka. Located in Kamchatka, Russia, it is Eurasia’s highest active volcano.
The accident occurred during a summit push at around 4,200m. The victims were part of a team of 10 men and 2 women, including two guides.
Many details remain unclear. One source reported that the accident happened on Tuesday, but one of the guides was only able to make a satphone call for help this morning. Other sources state that the fall occurred the day after they began their nighttime summit push but did not specify when that was, except that it did not happen today.
Nine of the 12 climbers joined the push from a high camp at 3,300m. The other three chose to stay in camp. All are Russian. Rescuers instructed the survivors, who are apparently still on the mountain, to descend as much possible to avoid hypothermia.
This might not be easy. Apart from the five dead, a fifth person remains unconscious and one of the guides broke his leg and cannot move.
A search-and-rescue team has now arrived and a helicopter has deposited them at the high camp at 3,300m. The helicopter, likely one of the big MI-8s that service the Kamchatka backcountry, cannot climb higher.
“[Rescuers plan] to climb the scene on Sunday morning,” said Roman Vasilevsky, deputy chairman of Kamchatka’s regional government.
We will update as more details become available.
